Puerto Rico hit by island-wide power blackout

NEW YORK, (Reuters) - A power line failure in southern Puerto Rico cut electricity to almost all 3.4 million residents on Wednesday, the latest in a string of operational and political headaches for the U.S. territory’s bankrupt, storm-ravaged power utility.

In a statement, the Puerto Rican Electric Power Authority, known as PREPA, said “technical personnel” were working to determine a cause and expected to restore service in 24 to 36 hours.

Puerto Rico’s smaller islands of Culebra and Vieques, as well as a pair of microgrids on the main island, were unaffected.

PREPA has struggled to escape the headlines since Hurricane Maria wiped out power to all of Puerto Rico last Sept. 20.

Maria, the worst storm to hit the island in 90 years, devastated Puerto Rico’s grid and thousands were still without power at the time of Wednesday’s blackout.

PREPA has suffered several blackouts since Maria and has been in bankruptcy since last July, owing some $9 billion to a slew of mutual funds, hedge funds and other investors.

In October, Governor Ricardo Rossello canceled a $300 million contract awarded by PREPA to a tiny Montana-based company amid political backlash.

Three months later, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers discovered undistributed hurricane relief materials in a PREPA warehouse, sparking Rossello to order a separate investigation.

A U.S. Congressional committee in March announced its own probe into potential corruption at PREPA, including reports that some officials accepted bribes to restore power to exotic dance clubs ahead of schedule.