Puerto Rico hit with 'massive power outage' as residents prepare for Easter weekend

Over a million customers in Puerto Rico were without power after energy plants across the island unexpectedly shut down, officials said.

Luma Energy, a private company that operates power transmission and distribution, reported that the outage began at about 12:40 p.m. local time on April 16. The company said "an event was recorded that affected service island-wide," meaning all 1.4 million customers on the island were without power.

In an evening update, the Puerto Rico Governor's Office said the outage resulted from a failure in the transmission of the electrical system. Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón called the transmission issue "unacceptable."

As part of Luma Energy's investigation, the company said crews conducted aerial patrols and identified that the outage was "caused by a combination of factors." A preliminary analysis revealed there was a failure in the protection system, and vegetation was discovered on a transmission line between the barrio of Cambalache and municipality of Manatí.

"This sequence of failures triggered a chain of events that resulted in an island-wide outage," the company said in a statement. "This event once again highlights the fragility of the electrical system, something LUMA has pointed out since the beginning of its operations."

Genera PR, the company that generates power on the island, said earlier on April 16 that the "massive power outage" was due to the sudden shutdown of all generating plants, including the company's plants and other private generators. Crews were working to bring backup units online, according to the company.

By 5:30 p.m., Luma Energy said crews started reestablishing the electrical system. The company noted that one of the island's power plants went online at around 3 p.m., which "represents a key step towards the system's recovery."

The company estimated that it will take between 48 and 72 hours for service to be restored for 90% of customers. The island-wide blackout hit just days ahead of Easter weekend — a majority of the territory's population identifies as Catholic, and the island observes the holiday all week.

Puerto Rico has long dealt with chronic power outages. The last major power outage on the island was on New Year's Eve, when around 1.2 million customers were left in the dark, taking two days for crews to restore power.

In September 2017, Hurricane Maria obliterated the island's power grid, which has remained fragile and under reconstruction.

Puerto Rico airport, hospitals running on generators

Puerto Rico's Bureau for Emergency Management and Disaster Administration said in a statement that it has partially activated its emergency operations center to coordinate information and respond to emergencies. The agency also said it was also working with personnel from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, LUMA Energy, and Genera PR to coordinate work between agencies and address emergencies.

According to the governor's office, generators were being rented for installation at pumps and water stations to "ensure supply." NBC News reported that at least 328,000 customers were without water on April 16.

The Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport was running on electric generators and limited some of its services, the airport said in a statement.

"Flights are operating normally and are uninterrupted," the airport added. "We recommend passengers to arrive to the airport with sufficient time."

Verónica Ferraiuoli, Puerto Rico’s designated secretary of state, said hospitals were also running on generator power, The New York Times reported. Ferraiuoli was acting as governor in the absence of González-Colón, who had been traveling but returned on the night of April 16.

Luma Energy said in an update at 8 p.m. that crews were prioritizing restoring power to critical facilities.

"There are no words that can ease the frustration we feel as a people in the face of another massive blackout," González-Colón said in a statement. "I'm with you because the people of Puerto Rico deserve their officials to respond in times of crisis, and that's why I'm here."

Contributing: Reuters