Governor Jenniffer González Colón said Thursday that the islandwide blackout of April 16, 2025 could have been prevented and blamed damage caused by mice to electrical wiring on a lack of preventive maintenance by LUMA Energy. Her remarks came after the Energy Bureau released its final report on the blackout, which identified rodent damage to protection wiring as well as other technical deficiencies that contributed to the collapse of the electrical system.
"That report demonstrates the main reason for the blackout that could have been prevented," the governor said. She said she had known about the equipment damage since her administration began requesting information on the incident, recalling that she was on a cruise, the only vacation she has taken, and returned to ask to see photos of the relays and cables, which were "evidently eaten."
González Colón said the presence of mice in the electrical facilities shows deficiencies in the preventive maintenance that corresponds to the operator of the transmission and distribution system, citing a lack of maintenance in substations and other areas, which she said the operator must now evaluate.