A major power outage struck a large part of Puerto Rico on New Year’s Eve, resulting in a massive blackout that could take up to two days to restore, according to the US island territory's electric utility.

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Luma Energy, which manages the island's power transmission, said in a statement that the “island-wide blackout” started at 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday (Dec 31). It added that preliminary findings suggested that the power outage was caused by a fault in an underground cable. An investigation into the matter is ongoing.

According to the news agency AFP, Jose Perez, director of external affairs at Luma, said that the fault “caused a cascade effect” which resulted in a general blackout.

“We have already begun the restoration process for some customers, and the entire process will take 24 to 48 hours,” Luma said.

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“This is a long and arduous process that requires local and federal collaboration,” Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi said on X. He added that he has requested the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to “continue facilitating the projects we have begun.”

Luma also said that emergency services, including a medical centre and hospital, had been restored in the capital San Juan.

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US President Joe Biden was informed about the blackout. The White House said that assistance was available to speed up the restoration process.

The outage occurred hours ahead of New Year’s Eve celebrations in Puerto Rico. It is tourist season right now on the Caribbean island.

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Out of 1.5 million customers, the agency has restored power for more than 335,000 as of 7 pm local time.

The Spanish-speaking archipelago has been facing infrastructure issues, including power grip failures, that only became more frequent after the devastating Hurricane Maria in 2017. 

“We are demanding answers,” Pierluisi said, adding that residents should be updated about the measures being taken to restore service across the island.

(With inputs from agencies)