Red tape and debt are prolonging Puerto Rico's blackouts

When Hurricane Fiona struck Puerto Rico on Sept. 19, it damaged transmission lines and other power infrastructure, leaving more than a million people without electricity. The island’s electric grid has barely recovered from the catastrophic damage it suffered in 2017, when Hurricane Maria hit. Puerto Rico’s reliance on imported oil for electricity production is heavy, and the public utility is groaning under $8.2 billion in debt. As a result, Puerto Ricans have some of the most expensive and least reliable electricity in the US.

One of those waiting in the dark this week is Cathy Kunkel, the energy program manager at Cambio, a San Juan-based advocacy group focused on sustainable development. In Fiona’s immediate aftermath, she said, the only households to still have power are those with diesel generators or rooftop solar panels. Deploying many more of the latter, she said, could be “completely transformative” for an island on the front lines of climate disasters.