Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance wasn’t just entertainment; it was a stark political statement. The dancers mimicking linemen working on power lines brought into sharp focus the chronic instability of Puerto Rico’s electricity grid, a problem rooted in decades of underinvestment, natural disasters, and controversial political decisions.
A Grid in Crisis
Puerto Rico’s power grid has been repeatedly devastated by hurricanes. In 2017, Hurricane Maria wiped out 80% of transmission lines, leaving the island in months-long darkness. The situation hasn’t improved : Hurricane Fiona in 2022 caused similar widespread outages, making blackouts a routine part of life for residents. The problem isn’t just weather; the grid is fundamentally outdated and vulnerable.
Federal Funding Cuts
The crisis has been exacerbated by U.S. federal policy. Despite Congress allocating $1 billion to modernize the grid, the Trump administration canceled $815 million of that funding. Key programs designed to deploy solar backups for hospitals and low-income households were dismantled, with officials citing concerns about renewable energy reliability. Critics argue this reasoning ignores the immediate, life-saving benefits of distributed solar systems. The dissolution of the Department of Energy’s Grid Deployment Office further jeopardized the future of grid improvements.
Debt and Oversight
Adding to the complexity, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority carries $9 billion in debt. Negotiations with creditors like BlackRock Financial Management collapsed after the federal oversight board overseeing restructuring was gutted by the Trump administration. This leaves the future of the utility, and the island’s energy security, uncertain.
Bad Bunny’s Activism
This isn’t Bad Bunny’s first time speaking out. In 2022, he released “El Apagón” (“The Power Outage”), a mini-documentary criticizing the grid’s failures. He’s also spent heavily on campaigns to remove pro-statehood politicians, advocating for Puerto Rican independence.
The Super Bowl stunt was a highly visible reminder that Puerto Rico’s energy crisis is a political issue. It highlights the consequences of underfunding infrastructure, prioritizing austerity over resilience, and the urgent need for a sustainable solution. The island’s power outages aren’t just technical failures; they’re symptoms of systemic neglect.
