Duration of power outages in Puerto Rico not caused by major events increased 19% in 2025

Power outages in Puerto Rico kept getting worse in 2025, even setting aside hurricanes and other major storms. New federal data show the average customer lost about 36 hours of power to routine, non-storm outages last year, up 19% from 2024. That's on top of an average of 29 hours a year over the past five years. For comparison, customers on the U.S. mainland typically lose about two hours a year to this kind of everyday outage, so Puerto Rico's grid is far less reliable even in a normal year.

Storms and other major events added another 23 hours of outages in 2025, even though no major hurricane hit the island directly. Heavy rain and flooding in spring 2025, along with indirect effects from Hurricane Erin, still knocked out power in various places. Outages are also happening more often, not just lasting longer: the average customer had about 16 non-storm interruptions in 2025, with the number rising to roughly 17 once storm-related outages are included. The frequency of routine outages has doubled since 2021.

For homeowners in Puerto Rico, this points to a grid that is becoming less dependable year over year, apart from hurricane season. If you're weighing backup power, battery storage, or other resilience upgrades for your home, this trend is useful context: outages aren't just a hurricane risk anymore, they're becoming a more regular part of the electric service, even in years without major storms.