Puerto Rico to Privatize Power Generation Amid Outages

Puerto Rico announced Sunday that it plans to privatize electricity generation, a first for a U.S. territory facing chronic power outages as it struggles to rebuild a crumbling electric grid.

  • Jan 17, 2023
  • 10:29 AM

Puerto Rico to Investigate Power Bill Complaints Following Recent Outage

Puerto Rico’s Energy Bureau announced Thursday that it will investigate how a private company has handled complaints about electric bills after Hurricane Fiona knocked power out to the entire island.

  • Oct 14, 2022
  • 10:00 AM

Puerto Rico Governor Denounces Power Company Amid Outages

Puerto Rico’s governor on Thursday denounced the private company his administration contracted to take over the island’s power transmission and distribution system amid a recent spike in electricity outages that have outraged many in the U.S. territory.

  • Aug 18, 2022
  • 2:30 PM

Major Outage Forces Puerto Rico to Shutter Schools, Offices

More than a million customers in Puerto Rico remained without electricity on Thursday after a fire at a main power plant caused the biggest blackout so far this year across the U.S. territory, forcing it to cancel classes and shutter government offices.

  • Apr 7, 2022
  • 11:51 AM

Puerto Ricans Fume as Outages Threaten Health, Work, School

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Not a single hurricane has hit Puerto Rico this year, but hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. territory feel like they’re living in the aftermath of a major storm: Students do homework by the light of dying cellphones, people who depend on insulin or respiratory therapies struggle to find power sources and the elderly are fleeing sweltering homes amid record high temperatures.

  • Oct 4, 2021
  • 12:20 PM

Protests Against LUMA Energy and Power Outages Continue in Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Fed up with rolling blackouts and the rising price of electricity, Puerto Ricans continue to hit the streets in protest against the Puerto Rican government’s contract with LUMA Energy while calling for the resignation of Gov. Pedro Pierluisi and the end of the Financial Oversight and Management Board of Puerto Rico (FOMBPR).

  • Oct 2, 2021
  • 11:57 AM

Power Outage Hits 337K in Puerto Rico Amid Growing Outrage

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A sudden power failure left more than 337,000 customers in the dark across Puerto Rico late Wednesday, enraging many who were recovering from a massive outage that hit the U.S. territory just days ago.

  • Jun 17, 2021
  • 8:24 AM

New Company, Same Woes: Puerto Rico Suffers Power Outages

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A private company that took over power transmission and distribution in Puerto Rico this month has struggled with widespread outages and growing anger as it scrambled Thursday to control a large fire at a main substation that left thousands in the dark.

  • Jun 10, 2021
  • 9:13 PM

Texas Power Outages: Nearly Half the State Experiencing Water Disruptions as Power Grid Operator Says It’s Making Progress

The Texas Tribune is tracking the fallout from the massive winter storm in Texas, which has brought widespread power outages and transportation problems.

  • Feb 18, 2021
  • 4:32 PM

“We’re in It Alone:” Power Outages Leave Millions of Texans Desperate for Heat and Safety

Texas residents said the storm —and ensuing partial collapse of the state’s power system— sapped what mental reserves they had left after eleven months of a global health crisis that has cost thousands of jobs and claimed more than 40,000 lives in the state.

  • Feb 17, 2021
  • 12:52 PM

CEO of Puerto Rico’s Power Company to Resign Amid Outages

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The CEO of Puerto Rico’s state-owned power company is resigning as thousands of clients remain without electricity since last week’s tropical storm that further weakened a grid still trying to recover from previous hurricanes and earthquakes, officials said Monday.

  • Aug 3, 2020
  • 2:15 PM

Puerto Rico Braces for Rain, Power Outages as Dorian Nears

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Jorge Ortiz, a 50-year-old construction worker, was taking no chances as Tropical Storm Dorian approached Puerto Rico on Tuesday and threatened to brush past the island’s southwest coast at near-hurricane strength.

  • Aug 27, 2019
  • 3:16 PM

After Power Outages, Guaidó to Call for a ‘National Emergency’

Schools, public offices and industries will be closed Monday as the state attempts to fix the grid, according to Information Minister Jorge Rodríguez.

  • Mar 11, 2019
  • 9:31 AM

The Party’s Over in Puerto Rico (OPINION)

With a generational shift against the status quo, a growing reluctance among Puerto Ricans to see their islands become part of an increasingly authoritarian nation, and now a battle between its two leading figures —Gov. Pedro Pierluisi and Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón, a Trump supporter— the ruling pro-statehood New Progressive Party’s days seem numbered.

  • Aug 14, 2023
  • 4:22 PM

Energy Secretary Hopes $450 Million for Solar Will Rebuild Trust in Puerto Rico Power Grid

On Monday, U.S. Energy Sec. Jennifer Granholm announced a $453.3 million commitment to finance rooftop solar panels and battery systems for Puerto Rico’s most vulnerable communities.

  • Aug 3, 2023
  • 3:47 PM

Hundreds in Puerto Rico Protest Proposed Increase in Electricity Bills

On Wednesday hundreds of people in Puerto Rico including religious leaders, economists, teachers and retirees protested a proposed increase to already high electric bills that a growing number of people in the U.S. territory are struggling to pay.

  • Jun 29, 2023
  • 10:33 AM

Record Heat Wave Grips Puerto Rico

Stepping outside in Puerto Rico’s capital city feels like walking inside a giant oven due to an “unprecedented” and record-breaking heat wave, which has already caused power and water outages as well as health concerns.

  • Jun 8, 2023
  • 3:54 PM

Losing Puerto Rico, One Moonshot at a Time (OPINION)

This is the story of two Puerto Ricos—a phantasmagorical island cooked up by Pierluisi and the one Boricuas endure daily.

  • May 23, 2023
  • 4:53 PM

How Will Puerto Rico’s Private Energy System Deal With Climate Change?

With rising temperatures and the increasing threat of tropical storms due to climate change menacing Puerto Rico, many fear the islands’ access to electrical power will only worsen under privatization.

  • May 11, 2023
  • 3:11 PM

Protest in Eastern Cuba a Day After Pro-Government March in Havana

Coming a day after a pro-government May Day demonstration in the capital city of Havana on Friday, Cubans in the municipality of Caimanera, near the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, marched in protest against the government.

  • May 9, 2023
  • 10:56 AM

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