Puerto Rico Morning Brief Thursday, October 29, 2026

Genera PR worked to bring back generation before the evening peak in demand, after outages affected more than 100,000 customers and left residents of San Juan and Caguas worried about another night without power in the heat. Company spokesman Iván Báez said on Metro al Mediodía that the aim was to recover generation before the period of highest demand, mainly between 6:00 PM and 9:00 PM on Wednesday, October 28. Genera PR aimed to return San Juan Central unit 5, down since a lubrication pump failure, to service before that peak. Juan González, a resident of the Cádiz building in Hato Rey, said he feared having no fan or air conditioning during those hours.

Puerto Rico’s Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (AAA) completed repairs on the pipeline that carries water from the reservoir to the Fajardo filtration plant, and projected water restoration in Fajardo, Ceiba and Luquillo between Wednesday night and Thursday. Enrique Rosario Agosto, executive director of the authority’s East Region, said the work wrapped up on Tuesday, October 27. Crews then had to wait about 10 hours for the concrete used in the repair to dry properly before restarting pumping to the plant. The authority said pumping would be switched on in a controlled manner, followed by a gradual opening of the distribution system.

The La Plata reservoir in Comerío fell another 12 centimeters in 24 hours because of a lack of significant rainfall in its watershed, the AAA reported on Wednesday, October 28. The reservoir sits 1.78 meters above the Control band and serves about 130,828 subscribers in nine towns. Engineer Carlos Pesquera said it holds "sufficient" water for at least 30 days without service interruptions. No rationing is planned yet.

The Integrated Transportation Authority (ATI) updated the Senate Committee on Transportation, Telecommunications, Public Utilities and Consumer Affairs on ferry fares, port projects and transit expansion at a public hearing on Tuesday, October 27. Carolina District Sen. Héctor Joaquín Sánchez Álvarez chairs the committee. ATI expects to publish the Mosquito Pier ferry request for proposals in January 2027 and award the contract in May. Construction would run from June 2027 through 2028 and cut travel time to Vieques by about 30 minutes.

LUMA Energy planned maintenance, repair and modernization work on the electric grid on Thursday, October 29, and the work could require scheduled power interruptions in 15 towns, according to the company’s notice. The jobs include removing dangerous vegetation, repairing the underground system, upgrading substations, replacing electrical lines and equipment, and making poles more resilient. Some tasks may require planned service interruptions, while others will be done without affecting the power supply.

The Puerto Rico Land Administration announced that the General Services Administration Bidding Board awarded the $7.8 million reconstruction of the Hotel Baños de Coamo in Coamo. The work covers repair, rehabilitation and overall improvement of the facilities. It includes demolition and construction, masonry, concrete, roof replacement and waterproofing, plumbing, electrical systems, carpentry, doors and windows, painting, finishes and exterior work. FEMA allocated $3,998,011.51 for the project, and COR3, the Puerto Rico recovery office, has already disbursed $899,553.