Officials demand answers as crews work to restore power after another Puerto Rico blackout

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Crews scrambled to restore power to Puerto Rico on Thursday after a blackout hit the entire island the previous day, affecting the main international airport, hospitals and hotels filled with Easter vacationers.

The outage that began around midday Wednesday left 1.4 million customers without electricity and more than 400,000 without water. More than 958,000 customers, or 65%, had power back by Thursday night, while 89% of customers had water restored. Officials expected 90% of customers to have power back within 48 to 72 hours after the outage, although 200,000 clients were left without power again on Thursday afternoon when one power plant failed twice.

“We are still in a precarious situation. This is old, fragile equipment," said Gov. Jenniffer González, who cut her weeklong vacation short and returned to Puerto Rico on Wednesday evening.

She said it would take at least three days to have preliminary information on what might have caused the blackout, which snarled traffic, forced hundreds of businesses to close and left those unable to afford generators scrambling to buy ice and candles.

“This is a shame for the people of Puerto Rico that we have a problem of this magnitude,” the governor said.

González warned that the boiler of one power plant was not functioning and would take one week to repair, which could affect power generation next week, when people return from vacation.

It’s the second massive blackout to hit Puerto Rico in less than four months. The previous one happened on New Year’s Eve.

“Why on holidays?” griped José Luis Richardson, who did not have a generator and kept cool by splashing water on himself every couple of hours.

The roar of generators and smell of fumes filled the air as a growing number of Puerto Ricans renewed calls for the government to cancel the contracts with Luma Energy, which oversees the transmission and distribution of power, and Genera PR, which oversees power generation.

González promised to heed those calls.

“That is not under doubt or question,” she said, but added that it’s not a quick process. “It is unacceptable that we have failures of this kind.”

González said a major outage, like the latest one, causes an estimated $215 million revenue loss daily.

Ramón C. Barquín III, president of the United Retail Center, a nonprofit that represents small- and medium-sized businesses, warned that ongoing outages would spook potential investors at a time when Puerto Rico urgently needs economic development.

“We cannot continue to repeat this cycle of blackouts without taking concrete measures to strengthen our energy infrastructure,” he said.

Many also were concerned about Puerto Rico’s elderly population, with the mayor of Canóvanas deploying brigades to visit the bedridden and those who depend on electronic medical equipment.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Vega Alta opened a center to provide power to those with lifesaving medical equipment.

Wednesday night was difficult for many, including 62-year-old Santos Bones Burgos.

“I spent it on the balcony,” he said, adding that he was trying to get some fresh air.

At some point, he fell asleep and recalled waking up at 5 a.m. to a neighbor yelling, “The power is back!”

Among those unable to sleep was Dorca Navarrete, a 50-year-old house cleaner who said it was too hot. “Last night was horrible,” she said. "I woke up with a headache.”

When she opened her eyes, she saw light and thought it couldn't possibly be the sun at that hour. Then a smile spread across her face when she realized it was from the light she had left on in a room the day before.

It was not immediately clear what caused the shutdown, the latest in a string of major blackouts on the island in recent years.

Officials are looking into whether several breakers failed to open or exploded. González said.

Another possibility is that overgrown vegetation affected the grid, which, if true, should not have happened, said Josué Colón, the island’s energy czar and former executive director of Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority.

He noted that the authority flew daily to check on certain lines, something he said Luma should be doing.

Colón said Luma also needs to explain why all the generators shut down after there was a failure in the transmission system, when only one was supposed to go into protective mode.

Pedro Meléndez, a Luma engineer, said an investigation is ongoing. He said in a news conference Thursday that the line where the failure occurred was inspected last week as part of regular air patrols to check on more than 2,500 miles worth of transmission lines across the island.

“No imminent risk was identified,” he said.

Daniel Hernández, vice president of operations at Genera PR, said Wednesday that a disturbance hit the transmission system shortly after noon, a time when the grid is vulnerable because there are few machines regulating frequency at that hour.

Puerto Rico has struggled with chronic outages since September 2017, when Hurricane Maria pummeled the island as a powerful Category 4 storm, razing a power grid that crews are still struggling to rebuild.

The grid already had been deteriorating as a result of decades of a lack of maintenance and investment under the state's Electric Power Authority, which is struggling to restructure $9 billion in debt.

On Jan. 9, Puerto Rico's representative in Congress, Pablo José Hernández, joined by legislators including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, sent a letter to U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright calling for the release of federal funds slated for the installation of rooftop solar and battery storage in Puerto Rico. The money is meant to help those whose disabilities or medical conditions require a power connection.

Puerto Rico's governor also has repeatedly called for those funds to be released.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

A man uses a plastic plate to fan the flames of a makeshift charcoal grill outside his home during a blackout in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

Nurys Perez, owner of Nurys Salon, styles a client's hair on the sidewalk outside her shop during a blackout in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

Drivers fill up fuel containers at a gas station during an island-wide blackout in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

Customers sit inside a restaurant lit by battery-powered lanterns during an island-wide power outage, in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

Vehicles navigate a dark street in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, during an island-wide blackout, Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

A local fills fuel containers at a gas station in San Juan, Puerto Rico, during an island-wide blackout, Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

A gas station employee directs traffic as cars line up for fuel during an island-wide blackout in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

Headlights illuminate cobblestone streets in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, during an island-wide blackout, Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Very little went right for Shane Van Gisbergen in the buildup to NASCAR's first international Cup Series points-paying race of the modern era.

A mechanical issue on takeoff forced his team charter to abort the initial journey to Mexico City. He arrived at the venue Friday, a day late, and after winning the pole Saturday, the New Zealander fell seriously ill.

He was sleeping on the floor of his hauler before Sunday's race, unsure he'd be able to physically complete the 100-lap event at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

But there's something special about the Kiwi and new venues, especially in the rain, and he salvaged the weekend by winning on the road course to earn an automatic berth into NASCAR's playoffs.

Van Gisbergen led 60 of 100 laps and beat Christopher Bell by 16.567 seconds.

“I tried to treat it like when I go to Asia, just drink bottled water and be careful in the shower and brush your teeth with bottled water, but I just went downhill,” Van Gisbergen said. “Couldn't keep anything in. Everything just went straight through me. I felt really queasy and my mind was there, but my body just had so much pressure in my stomach. Crazy weekend and everyone dug deep.”

It was the second Cup Series victory of his career. He won in his NASCAR debut at the inaugural 2023 street course race in Chicago — a victory that changed his career trajectory. Van Gisbergen left Australia V8 Supercars, where he was a multiple champion, for a full-time move to NASCAR.

Although he had success in the Xfinity Series — he won three races last year as Trackhouse Racing developed him for a Cup Series ride — Van Gisbergen has struggled this year at NASCAR's top level.

He started the race ranked 33rd in the Cup standings with only one top-10 finish through the first 15 races of the season. But his victory in Mexico City revived his season and gives him a shot to race for the Cup Series championship.

“It means everything to us, this is why I'm here,” Van Gisbergen said. “I am getting better and more competitive. We're really making a lot of progress.”

Van Gisbergen celebrated in his traditional rugby-style way — he drop-kicked a signed football into the grandstands and then said he had recovered enough to enjoy “some Red Bulls mixed with adult beverages” later Sunday.

Van Gisbergen benefitted from an early pop-up rain shower on the first lap of the race because he's an exceptionally skilled driver on a wet surface. His win at Chicago was in monsoon-like conditions.

Trackhouse now has two of its drivers — Ross Chastain and Van Gisbergen — locked into the playoffs. But it was a bit of a disappointment for Daniel Suarez, the Monterrey native who thrilled the hometown crowd with a win in the Xfinity Series race on Saturday, as he failed to challenge his teammate for the win and finished 19th.

“I wish I was in the mix fighting for it a little more, but it just wasn't in the cards,” Suarez said. "Every single thing about this weekend exceeded my expectations, the people, the fans, the sponsors, the excitement, the energy.

“I had expectations for this weekend, not the results but, like, the event, and I can tell you that I personally exceeded those expectations,” he added. “So very, very happy for that. Very blessed. I hope that we can do it many more times.”

Suarez, who appeared to be blinking back tears as he sang along with the Mexican national anthem in pre-race ceremonies, desperately wanted the home win in this contract year with Trackhouse. He was the face of this event as NASCAR ventured outside the U.S. with its top series for the first time since 1958.

Bell finished second in a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. He was followed by Chase Elliott in a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Alex Bowman, who hurt his back in a crash last week at Michigan, withstood the pain for a fourth-place finish in his Hendrick Chevrolet.

Michael McDowell of Spire Motorsports was fifth and followed by John Hunter Nemechek in a Toyota for Legacy Motor Club. Chase Briscoe of JGR was seventh and followed by Cole Custer for Haas Factory as the highest-finishing Ford driver. William Byron of Hendrick was ninth and Chris Buescher of RFK Racing rounded out the top 10.

Chevrolets took five of the top-10 positions, including the victory.

The ongoing feud between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Carson Hocevar continued after the race as a furious Stenhouse reached inside Hocevar's cockpit on pit road.

He seemed to grab at Hocevar as he spoke to him, then slapped at his helmet as Stenhouse walked away. It wasn't clear what Stenhouse was upset about, but he's been furious with Hocevar for three consecutive weeks, dating to contact between the two at Nashville.

Hocevar's in-car camera captured the audio of the confrontation.

“I'm going to beat your (butt),” Stenhouse threatened. “You're a lap down, you've got nothing to do. Why you run right into me? It's the second time. I'm going to beat your (butt) when we get back to the States.”

Hocevar said after the race he couldn't really hear Stenhouse.

“I know he was very mad and I was very apologetic,” Hocevar said. “I got in the marbles and slid a lot longer than I expected to. Number one, not somebody I would ever want to hit again. But number two, I was basically just logging laps. I tried to turn left and avoid him. Just a really sloppy day for me.”

NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon was selected to give the command for drivers to start their engines and admitted before the race he'd done some practicing.

Why? Because he incorporated both English and Spanish in his delivery of the most famous words in racing.

“Hola Mexico!” Gordon shouted. "Pilotos start your engines!

NASCAR races next Sunday at Pocono Raceway, where Ryan Blaney won last year.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Shane Van Gisbergen celebrates after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Hermanos Rodríguez race track in Mexico City, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Shane Van Gisbergen celebrates after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Hermanos Rodriguez race track in Mexico City, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Shane Van Gisbergen celebrates after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Hermanos Rodríguez race track in Mexico City, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Shane Van Gisbergen celebrates after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Hermanos Rodríguez race track in Mexico City, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Cole Custer (41) leads the pack during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Hermanos Rodríguez race track in Mexico City, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Daniel Suarez (99) and Shane Van Gisbergen (88) drive during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Hermanos Rodríguez race track in Mexico City, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Shane Van Gisbergen drives during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Hermanos Rodríguez race track in Mexico City, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)