LUMA FOCUSING ON RESTORATION EFFORTS ON HARDEST HIT COMMUNITIES, WITH MORE THAN 800 UTILITY FIELD WORKERS DEPLOYED ACROSS PONCE AND MAYAGÜEZ REGIONS
San Juan, Puerto Rico, October 7, 2022 – Today, LUMA announced that as of 10 a.m. Friday, it has restored electric service to 1,422,884 customers, or 97% of total customers across the island following Category 1 Hurricane Fiona. LUMA continues to make progress restoring power to customers in the hardest hit regions, and is estimating to meet 90% restoration between October 7 and 8 in the Mayagüez service region despite extensive damage, ongoing rain and severe weather, washed out roads, and steep terrain which crews can only access by helicopter. To date, LUMA has more than 800 field workers in the hardest hit areas focused on restoring power and making critical repairs to damaged electric infrastructure.
“We are completely focused on restoring power to communities who suffered the greatest amount of damage from the devastation of Hurricane Fiona. Given the extent of damage, restoration repairs are being impacted by ongoing thunderstorms and extensive damage to local roads and electric infrastructure. We are utilizing helicopters to gain access where roads no longer exist or are too difficult to pass. As we have said, no matter the local challenges we face, our crews will not stop until every customer’s power is restored,” said LUMA Engineer Daniel Hernández.
Current Restoration Updates – Specific Service Regions
As of 8:00 AM, LUMA has restored electric service to 97% of total customers. In terms of specific service regions, LUMA has restored service to:
- 100% of customers in both San Juan and Bayamón
- 99% of customers in the service region of Caguas
- 99% of customers in the service region of Arecibo
- 94% of customers in the service region of Ponce.
- 86% of customers in the service region of Mayagüez
LUMA has also fully restored service to 100% of hospitals, and 96% of all PRASA water facilities.
Restoration Prioritization in Hardest Hit Areas
Hurricane Fiona severely impacted critical parts of the electric grid and generation facilities across Puerto Rico, especially in the Ponce and Mayagüez service regions. Today, LUMA and its partners have over 800 utility field workers specifically in the Mayagüez and Ponce regions to conduct repairs and support restoration efforts. Crews in the area are confronting ongoing local weather challenges, difficult terrain, as well as roads washed away from Hurricane Fiona. To address these issues, crews are utilizing helicopters where possible to bring crews and equipment in for local repairs.
Ponce Service Region Updates – October 7, 2022
- 94% of customers restored
- 193 damage assessments completed to date
- 156 distribution feeders energized to date
- Work underway today to restore 8 distribution feeders
Mayagüez Service Region Updates – October 7, 2022
- 86% of customers restored
- 190 damage assessments complete to date
- 159 distribution feeders energized to date
- Work underway today to restore 14 distribution feeders
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.
