#头条故事会 #
According to LUMA Energy, which took over transmission and distribution from the island's power authority, 1.3 million users in Puerto Rico had restored power as of Saturday afternoon after a massive blackout left the entire community without power.
Luma said about 200,000 customers still don't have electricity.
LUMA said it would continue its efforts to restore electricity supplies across all parts of Puerto Rico and asked customers to conserve electricity on Saturday "to help reduce energy demand and support the recovery process until more power supplies come online."
With the slow recovery of power, a power outage will be reportedly in turn on Saturday.
Luma warned earlier: "Although power services have been restored in some areas of the island, some areas may have a temporary power outage for a short period of time as we try to balance power generation and stabilize the energy grid."
The blackout occurred after a fire at one of the island's four major power plants. LUMA said the exact cause of the service outage is under investigation.
Luma said in a statement that the extent of the blackout had affected every power generation facility in Puerto Rico and efforts were underway to restore services.
The head of the island's energy company told ABC News that it would take weeks for officials to know the cause of the power outage in Puerto Rico.
LUMA Energy CEO Wayne Stensby joined ABC News Live, saying the state of the grid is "much worse than any power system that the people of the continental United States will provide."
Sterns said some of the emergency response teams set up ahead of hurricane season are working to restore power to customers who are still in the dark.
Given the scope of the blackout, the government and energy companies say there is no timetable for a full recovery.
Luma said we are continuing to make progress on recovery, but due to the severe damage to the Costa Sur substation, it is not possible to provide an estimate of a full recovery at this time.
According to the island's governor, Pedro Pierluisi, public schools are closed to students on Thursdays and Fridays due to power outages.
According to Doriel Pagán Crespo, president of the Water Pipes and Sewerage Authority, about 100,000 customers were short of water due to power outages on Thursday.
Officials warned that the blackout also turned off traffic lights, affecting some traffic intersections.
Pierluisi said in a separate tweet that only key figures were summoned to central government agencies on Friday.
Residents unhappy with the slow restoration work staged a small protest outside LUMA's San Juan headquarters on Friday and dumped rotten food at the vendor's doorstep.
Josue Colon, executive director of the power company, said of the upcoming hurricane season that the grid still needs to be rebuilt. They say the island's power grid can withstand hurricanes like The Magnitude 5 Maria in 2017, which is irresponsible.