More than 126,000 LUMA customers without service due to load shifting

According to a status report posted at 3:40 p.m. Wednesday by grid operator LUMA Energy, 126,711 customers were without service, representing 7.28% of the total customers in Puerto Rico. The most affected region was Caguas, with 40,813 customers without service, equivalent to 16.29%. (Facebook via LUMA Energy)

P3A rips grid operator for move to limit activation of on-call brigades

By THE STAR STAFF

LUMA Energy announced Wednesday that load shifting was being carried out due to power generation deficiencies, which caused service interruptions in multiple regions of the island.

“Although we are not responsible for generation, we are working closely with the generating companies to protect the stability of the electrical system,” LUMA said in statements posted on its social media.

According to a status report posted at 3:40 p.m., 126,711 customers were without service, representing 7.28% of the total customers in Puerto Rico.

The most affected region was Caguas, with 40,813 customers without service, equivalent to 16.29%. Bayamón followed with 16,398 customers without service, and Arecibo with 15,783.

In contrast, San Juan and Ponce reported the lowest outage rates, with 1.38% and 2.02%, respectively.

LUMA did not provide an estimated time for service restoration.

At around the same time on Wednesday, the Public-Private Partnerships Authority (P3A) denounced the private grid operator’s failure, once again, to fulfill its contractual obligations under the Transmission and Distribution Operation and Maintenance Agreement, thereby jeopardizing the reliability and stability of the island’s electrical system.

In a letter sent Wednesday, the P3A categorically rejected the measures announced by LUMA on Tuesday in which the company reported that it would limit the activation of on-call brigades to outages affecting 1,000 or more customers, or critical transmission interruptions; interruptions affecting critical facilities; and dangerous situations that pose an immediate risk to safety.

The P3A emphasized that the decision represents a material degradation of service, which contrasts with the standard that existed before LUMA’s arrival, when seven regional offices were maintained, with 24/7 shifts that dealt with breakdowns, emergencies, and even urgent reconnections for critical patients.