HURRICANE RECOVERY EFFORTS CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON SEVERELY IMPACTED REGIONS of PONCE, Mayagüez
San Juan, Puerto Rico, September 29, 2022 – Today, LUMA announced that it has restored electric service to 81% of its 1.5 million customers as it continues dedicating resources to the areas most affected by Hurricane Fiona. LUMA also shared that it has restored power to 99% of Critical Level 1 hospitals across Puerto Rico and continues to prioritize the restoration of critical facilities across all six LUMA service regions.
“We have worked closely with our Federal and Puerto Rican emergency partners to coordinate our response efforts to restore power to 1.18 million customers across six regions, including 152 of the 154 total Critical Level 1 hospitals. We remain committed to restoring power to all residents of Puerto Rico, especially our customers in the hardest hit Ponce and Mayagüez regions where we continue to shift additional resources to restore power to those customers as quickly and safely as possible,” said LUMA Engineer Daniel Hernández.
Utility Field Crews and Resource Mobilization in Most Impacted Areas
Hurricane Fiona severely impacted generation facilities and critical parts of the grid across Puerto Rico, especially in the Ponce and Mayagüez service regions that suffered severe damage to roads and critical infrastructure. The electric grid and generation infrastructure in these regions were specifically impacted by 12 to 30-plus inches of heavy rain, winds between 85 and 103 mph and widespread flooding. LUMA is increasing the number of utility field workers in these hardest hit regions by mobilizing 375 workers in the Mayagüez region and 276 workers in the Ponce region, for a total of approximately 35% of mobilized workers addressing areas with the most severe damage.
Estimated Global Restoration Timeframe
LUMA has restored over 1.18 million customers as of 8:00 AM Thursday. LUMA is continuing to project that 77-91% of customers will be restored by the end of day Friday, September 30. Restoration, on any given day, can fluctuate and continue to depend on a number of factors, including ongoing damage assessments and real-time repairs, adequate generation including energy reserves to protect and balance the system and access to critical facilities most impacted by the hurricane.
Estimated Regional Restoration Timeframe
LUMA has restored power to over 90% of customers in the service regions of Bayamón and San Juan and is on track to meet additional regional estimated timeframes for restoration in the other four service regions. These more granular estimates show the regions in the west and south of Puerto Rico are anticipated to take longer to restore, given the severity of Hurricane Fiona’s impacts. Restoration timeframes remain highly dependent on the same conditions as the global estimates.
LUMA stressed that these service regions reflect the company’s operational areas as shown on maps available below and on its website at lumapr.com.
Daily Restoration Updates
LUMA is providing restoration updates via its website and social media and will continue to share updates on a regular basis each day. These updates, which are available on lumapr.com and its social media platforms, include an update on the number of customers restored, the percentage of customers restored, available generation and information regarding the progress being made in LUMA’s operating regions.
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
