Puerto Rico’s Electric Grid Still In Crisis 9 Years After Maria
Puerto Rico’s electric grid remains painfully short of needed generating capacity nine years after the island was devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017. Unfortunately, the problem is one that’s been exacerbated by the government of the U.S. Island territory. Energy and government policies are always intimately interrelated and nowhere is this enduring reality more obvious than in Puerto Rico.
Here are some key facts related to the major issues on the Puerto Rico grid:
The grid had a 33% energy shortfall in 2025, meaning the island’s power plants were unable to produce a third of the total electricity needed to cover peak demand.
Puerto Rico’s 3.2 million residents are experiencing record-setting outages while the government sits idle.
The average ratepayer in Puerto Rico experienced an average of 27 hours of power outages per year between 2021 and 2024. In 2024 alone, ratepayers went without electricity for more than 73 hours.
By contrast, ratepayers in the continental United States experience less than 2 hours of power outages each year on average.
