LUMA Energy under scrutiny following massive Puerto Rico power outage

A massive power outage in Puerto Rico affected between 188,000 and 200,000 customers following an incident at a transmission center in Carolina. The outage was triggered by an explosion and fire at the Sabana Llana substation, a critical node for the metropolitan and eastern regions of the island. The incident caused generating units in San Juan, Mayagüez, and Arecibo to go offline.

LUMA Energy is currently investigating whether the fire was caused by a failure in the substation’s internal protection and control systems or if the fire itself caused the system failure. Government officials have pointed to LUMA’s responsibility for infrastructure maintenance, noting that the company must ensure equipment is updated and properly managed under its jurisdiction. Investigations are ongoing to determine if the cause was mechanical failure, human error, or another factor.