Costs have gone up for running the Puerto Rico's power grid and so that's made the utility much more keen on trying to recuperate those costs. On top of that Puerto Rico has been depopulating for years now and certainly that did accelerate after Hurricane Maria. Even in Texas which is the energy hub of the United States, they still struggle to get energy at a time when demand was high but the supply from electricity producers was very low.
Days after Ian, most Floridians now have their power back. Weeks after Fiona, more than 100,000 Puerto Rican households and businesses are still coping with blackouts and an outdated grid. The Washington Post’s Arelis Hernández explains.
This episode was produced by Amanda Lewellyn, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Paul Robert Mounsey, and hosted by Noel King.
Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained
Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices