Nearly 400 galvanized poles and critical infrastructure upgrades will benefit 70,000 customers in preparation for hurricane season
Caguas, PR – January 30, 2026 – LUMA announced the reconstruction and energization of a critical transmission line, which had been out of service since Hurricane María, along with an intensive improvement plan for the Caguas region to be executed over the next 90 days. This plan includes the installation of galvanized poles resistant to winds of up to 160 miles per hour, replacement of transformers, and preventive maintenance at substations, benefiting more than 70,000 customers in the area, including businesses, schools, and industrial zones such as pharmaceutical companies.
The 12,600 line, which connects the Naguabo Transmission Center (TC) with Verde Mar in Humacao and spans 110 poles from Naguabo to Humacao, is essential to provide redundancy and reliability to the electrical system serving Naguabo, Humacao, Juncos, Las Piedras, Vieques, and Culebra. Before this improvement, Vieques and Culebra relied exclusively on line 5400, which increased the risk of outages. With the commissioning of line 12,600, outage frequency will be significantly reduced, strengthening resilience for the eastern region of the island.
Key work completed includes:
- Replacement of critical equipment such as insulators and hardware on 110 poles.
- Installation of nearly 30,000 feet of electrical material on 30 poles with their bases, following industry standards.
90-Day Intensive Improvement Plan for the Caguas Region
The company responsible for the transmission and distribution system plans to replace nearly 400 primary poles in the municipalities of Juncos, Humacao, San Lorenzo, Aibonito and Las Piedras over the next 90 days, reinforcing the electrical grid and improving service reliability in the eastern region of the island. These efforts will focus on key communities such as:
- Humacao: Mambiche, Pitahaya
- Naguabo: Higuerillo, Río Blanco
- Las Piedras: Montones, Collores, La Fermina
- San Lorenzo: Quemados, Quebrada Arena, Barrio Espino, Barrio Jagual
In addition to replacing poles in Aibonito, crews will install new conductors along the main line to increase capacity and modernize critical components such as transformers, capacitor banks, and voltage regulators, as well as perform underground work where applicable.
Additionally, crews are working on critical vegetation points identified during aerial patrols to minimize outages on transmission lines that cross the municipalities of Cayey, Naguabo, Humacao, Las Piedras, Juncos, Yabucoa, Gurabo, and Barranquitas. As part of the vegetation maintenance plan, work will also take place in Caguas, Aibonito, Gurabo, Cayey, and Cidra.
Furthermore, LUMA will replace transformers in the municipalities of Humacao and Aguas Buenas, and in Caguas, a main converter will be replaced to address and minimize voltage issues in sectors such as Jaguas in Gurabo. Preventive maintenance will also be carried out at the Yabucoa Transmission Center substation, including equipment replacements such as breakers and specialized testing to ensure system reliability in the region.
Since May 2025, the company has replaced approximately 650 primary poles measuring 45 and 50 feet and secondary poles measuring 35 feet in the municipalities of Orocovis and Barranquitas, reinforcing the grid and improving service reliability in the island’s central region. These efforts have focused on communities such as:
- Orocovis: Bo. Matrullas, Cacao, Ala de la Piedra, Botijas, Bermejales, Bauta, Gato, Saltos
- Barranquitas: Bo. Barrancas, Quebrada Grande, Quebradillas, Cañabón, and Palo Hincado
“Despite the budget limitations we face, our crews remain focused on replacing essential and critical equipment needed in our region as we prepare for hurricane season,” emphasized Eng. Luis Maeso, Regional Distribution Line Manager for the Caguas region, who has over 25 years of experience in the electrical system.
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 service they deserve. As a customer-centric company, LUMA’s entire workforce of over 4,000 employees is focused on safely delivering an exceptional customer service experience to its nearly 1.5 million customers.
