Today, we continued working with our generation partners to restore service to all our customers after the blackout reported yesterday at 5:30 am, left the entire island out of service.

As we shared with you earlier, we restored service to 1.4 million or 98.9% of our customers this morning with over 1,500 MW in the system. Based on conversations with generators and our system analysis, we shared the potential for load shedding and service interruptions due to generation limitations during peak hours. Typically,  system stability is fragile at a heightened risk when first emerging from a blackout like the one that occurred yesterday and as the larger generation units enter back into service, they must increase production slowly due to technical limitations. At about 2:00 p.m. a separate issue at Aguirre caused a wide-area  system event impacting other generation stations. This caused the sudden loss of 550 MW and impacted service for over 600,000 customers. Our team momentarily stabilized the system to prevent the interruption of service to more customers and, working in collaboration with the generators, managed to restore service to over 200,000 customers.

At about 7:00 p.m. and with approximately 73% of our customers in service, another event was reported at the same location, impacting service for customers during peak consumption hours.Based on current information, we anticipate that the load shed event will last until approximately 12:00 am today. We expect more generation to be added tomorrow but total generation shortfall compared to total demand could still impact service for customers tomorrow.

As we continue collaborating with our generation partners, we are expecting additional generation to be available tonight and tomorrow, likely improving on the fragile state of the system by Friday. It is important to understand that there is still potential for generation shortfalls in coming days. 

We know and understand how frustrating it has been for our customers to be without service for extended periods of time. That’s why our load-shedding plan includes rotating sectors periodically to minimize the impact on your daily life. Because we know how important it is to keep you informed through this restoration process, we will continue to offer constant updates through our social media, lumapr.com, and the media so that you can make decisions and plan your day.

Through this process, we have seen the spirit of collaboration between all sectors of the electrical industry and other stakeholders. Our team will continue to be focused and dedicated to restoring service to our customers as more generation becomes available. LUMA will continue to provide updates as restoration progresses. Remember to follow us on our networks and visit lumapr.com to continue receiving updated information.

Sincerely,

Juan Saca