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LUMA RESTORATION UPDATE: IMMEDIATE AND CONTINUOUS ACTIONS CONTINUE TO REENERGIZE THE ELECTRIC GRID

San Juan, Puerto Rico, September 19, 2022 – Today, LUMA announced since Sunday afternoon and throughout the night, crews have been taking immediate and critical actions to respond to the island-wide power outage following the hurricane-force winds, torrential rains and severe flooding brought by Hurricane Fiona.

LUMA Crews have been continuously assessing damage, performing critical repairs and working with PREPA and private generators to increase generation and reenergize the electric grid.

“We want our customers to know that LUMA has been and will continue to work around the clock to restore power to Puerto Rico following the island-wide outage that began early Sunday afternoon. While power restoration has now occurred for more than 100,000 customers, LUMA crews continue to work to stabilize the grid. We will continue to work non-stop until every customer is restored and the entire grid is reenergized. While these efforts continue over the coming days, we strongly encourage customers to continue to exercise caution and stay away from any downed powerlines,” said LUMA Public Safety Manager, Abner Gómez.

Restoration Efforts

Following the island-wide power outage on Sunday afternoon, LUMA crews immediately mobilized and began efforts to assess damage, implement repairs and restore power to customers. Throughout these efforts the following restoration activities have been completed:

  • 10:45 PM – Power restored to Centro Medico and approximately 5,000 customers in the municipality of San Juan
  • 2:00 AM – Power restored to the University Hospital and the Comprehensive Cancer Center of Puerto Rico in the municipality of San Juan
  • 2:15 AM – Power restored to a total of more than 39,000 customers with service restored in the municipalities of Corozal, Toa Alta and Toa Baja
  • 3:45 AM – Power Restored to a total of more than 76,000 customers with service restored in the municipalities of Toa Baja, Toa Alta, San Juan, Bayamon and Corozal
  • 5:30 AM – Power restored to a total of more than 100,000 customers with service restored in the municipalities of San Juan, Bayamon Corozal, Toa Alta and Toa Baja

Hurricane Fiona Response – LUMA Mobilization

LUMA has fully deployed its resources including 1,648 utility field crews and an additional 339 contractor resources. A field response crew of 1,987 are mobilized and actively responding and restoring power where and when it is safe to do so. Additional resources are continuously being coordinated. Among the LUMA crews mobilized and responding include:

  • Trouble & Operations: 151 crews
    • Construction & Maintenance: 69 crews
    • Transmission Lines: 84 crews
    • Substation and Commissioning Crews: 20 crews
    • Low Voltage: 309 crews
    • Vegetation: 102 crews
    • Aviation: 5 helicopter crews

Customer Safety Messages

Stay away from any downed power lines. We urge the public to put their safety first. Call us immediately at 1-844-888-5862 (LUMA) to report any downed lines or electrical emergencies that require immediate attention. Remember to stay away from any low hanging or downed power lines.

Across Puerto Rico, LUMA crews are testing breakers at substations in order to assess damage from Hurricane Fiona. While this activity can cause sparking, it is a normal and critical part of our step-by-step restoration process and not a cause for concern.

Updates on Hurricane and Hurricane Response

LUMA will be communicating about its emergency preparations, hurricane response, and the impact the hurricane has on the electric system through the news media and its social media channels. Among the critical resources LUMA will provide updates include the following:

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.