SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO—An explosion and fire at an electric substation threw much of northern Puerto Rico into darkness late Sunday in a setback for the U.S. territory’s efforts to fully restore power more than five months after Hurricane Maria started the longest blackout in U.S. history. The blackout comes as more than 400,000 power customers remain in the dark more than five months after Hurricane Maria. The storm destroyed two-thirds of the island’s power distribution system and caused up to an estimated $94 billion in damage. Puerto Rico’s governor announced last month that he plans to privatize the state-owned power company, which relies on infrastructure nearly three times older than the industry average. The board said the company could see an estimated $1.2-billion loss in revenue in the first six months after Hurricane Maria.

Source: thestar February 12, 2018 03:56 UTC