Puerto Rico approves electricity rate increase weeks after massive blackout

Puerto Ricans have been hit with a 4.6% increase in electricity rates increase through September. The increase is a blow to the 3.2 million people who struggle with chronic power outages as the U.S. territory’s grid keeps deteriorating. Starting Monday, the new rate for a customer using 800 kilowatt-hours will be 23.77 cents per kWh, up from the previous 22.72 cents. The rate increase will affect the bills of 1.5 million households connected to the grid that continues to crumble amid a lack of maintenance and the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017. In June, a massive blackout left over 340,000 customers without power during a heat wave.