San Juan, Puerto Rico, September 26, 2022 – In response to the devastating effects of Hurricane Fiona, LUMA continues to make progress and restore electric service to customers across Puerto Rico. LUMA expects to have 77-91% of customers restored by Friday if there is sufficient generation available. LUMA stressed that typically for this time of year, the electricity demand from all customers requires approximately 2900-3000 MW of generation. In comparison approximately 1600 MW of generation from PREPA and other private generation operators is currently available.
“We want to be very clear that LUMA is ready right now to restore power to more customers as soon as additional generation becomes available. Since the impact of the storm, we are continuing to coordinate our efforts to restore power and reenergize the electric system as quickly and safely as possible with PREPA and our generation partners. We remain focused on working as hard as possible to restore power to the overwhelming majority of customers by this Friday,” said LUMA Engineer Daniel Hernández.
Estimated Restoration Timeframe
LUMA has restored 869,279customers as of 8:00 AM, Monday. Depending on sufficient generation, service should be restored to more than 64-77% of customers by Wednesday, September 28, 2022, while 77-91% of customers may be restored by Friday, September 30.
These estimated restoration numbers remain highly dependent on a combination of factors including the availability of generation, the need to have sufficient energy reserves to stabilize and protect the entire energy grid, ongoing damage assessments, gaining access to critical infrastructure impacted by Fiona, and the speed of which damage to areas of the grid and/or generation facilities can be repaired.
Generation Availability
LUMA crews have been working continuously to repair damage to the transmission and distribution system and restore power to customers as quickly and safely as possible. While additional repairs are ongoing, especially in the hardest hit areas, LUMA is prepared to energize more customers as generation becomes available from PREPA and other private generators.
Daily Restoration Updates
This morning, LUMA began providing restoration updates via its website and social media and will continue to share updates on a regular basis each day. These updates include an update on the number of customers restored, percentage of customers restored, available generation and information regarding the progress being made in LUMA’s operating regions. These restoration updates can be found on lumapr.com and social media.
Damage Assessment and Repairs are Continuing
Hurricane Fiona impacted many parts of the electric grid and generation facilities across Puerto Rico, especially in the Ponce and Mayagüez regions of Puerto Rico. Grid and generation infrastructure in these regions were significantly affected by the severe weather brought by Hurricane Fiona, including 12-30+ inches of heavy rain, winds between 85 and 135 mph and widespread flooding. LUMA crews are prioritizing repairs for essential critical services, like hospitals, and will be increasing the number of crews in these areas.
Maintaining Reserves to Protect the System
Given the impacts of the storm, generation reserves are maintained to protect the overall stability of the energy system. Generation reserves are an essential component of the step-by-step restoration process. LUMA, in its role as the System Operator, will maintain generation reserves throughout the restoration in order to protect the system and reduce the potential for setbacks and further service interruptions.
About LUMA
LUMA is a Puerto Rican company that, since June 1, 2021, operates and manages the electric power transmission and distribution system in Puerto Rico. LUMA is a company driven by a mission to transform the electrical transmission and distribution system to provide all Puerto Ricans with the reliable, resilient, cleaner, and affordable electrical grid they deserve. As a customer-centric company, LUMA’s entire workforce of more than 3,000 employees is focused on safely delivering an exceptional customer service experience to its 1.5 million customers.
