Why Was Bad Bunny Singing on Top of a Broken Utility Pole at the Super Bowl?

Bad Bunny offered the most-watched NFL halftime show in television history, ending with an emotional roll call of every country and territory across the Americas. But it was more than just a love letter to his homeland, or a display of sheer Latinidad and caribeñidad, unity and love in times of hatred. He also tackled Puerto Rico’s dilapidated electricity system.

Singing from the top of a damaged electricity pole, Bad Bunny performed “El Apagón” (The Blackout), a song released in 2022 about Puerto Rico’s frequent power outages.

Puerto Rico’s electricity woes have become a political issue tied up in climate change and privatization. But also, the challenges around power offer the possibility of a better future with the help of clean energy, namely through affordable, widespread rooftop solar panels and battery storage.

The blackouts have been exacerbated by a mediocre electricity service from LUMA Energy, a U.S.-Canadian consortium. In 2021, LUMA Energy signed a 15-year agreement with Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) to manage and operate energy transmission and distribution across the archipelago, to the detriment of millions of customers.

Energy privatization has failed to deliver uninterrupted electricity distribution for millions of customers.

Due to its geographic position, the archipelago faces many types of extreme weather driven by climate change, from rising temperatures to hurricanes and tropical storms. Even smaller hurricanes than Maria — such as Fiona in 2022 and Ernesto in 2024 — resulted in protracted hours without power.

Broken electricity lines above homes damaged are seen after Tropical Storm Ernesto hit Fajardo, Puerto Rico, on August 14, 2024. (Jaydee Lee Serrano / AFP via Getty Images)

But the problems aren’t just driven by extreme weather. A 2025 study by the U.S. Energy Information Administration found that Puerto Rico has lost nearly 27 hours of power per year, between 2021 and 2024, even without hurricanes. In 2022 alone, Puerto Rico dealt with 200 hours of electricity interruptions. Consumers in the continental U.S. experienced two hours of lost electricity per year during the same period.

According to LUMA’s own January 2026 report, the average consumer spent 30 percent more time without power in their household or business in comparison with what they had experienced three years ago. The energy outages disrupt the livelihood of millions.

Even a year prior to LUMA’s handling of Puerto Rico’s electricity system, some groups warned about the so-called “electric grid modernization plan,” arguing that Puerto Rico consumers would experience higher rate hikes and the plan would promote the expansion of an obsolete methane gas infrastructure that would hinder a mandate to achieve 100% clean energy by 2050.

People have dinner at a Chinese restaurant in San Juan, Puerto Rico during a massive power blackout that affected the entire island on April 16, 2025. The cause of the electricity outage was not immediately apparent after all 1.4 million residents of the island lost power. (Jose Jimenez / Getty Images)

Fast forward to 2026, and these challenges still stand.

The Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (PREB) is contemplating LUMA Energy’s request to increase electricity rates, which could represent an additional $40 or more on electricity bills for already overburdened customers in Puerto Rico, in exchange for a proven poor service.

Meanwhile, another U.S. private company, New Fortress Energy and its subsidiary, NFEnergía, operate a liquefied methane gas terminal in the San Juan Bay area, where nearly 150,000 residents live within a three-mile radius. A small spill could endanger their lives and cause a full interruption of food supply through the archipelago’s busiest port.

In 2020, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) ruled that the terminal was built without required federal authorization, yet it granted a limited temporary approval to operate. Furthermore, the company continues to break the rules by allowing bigger vessels to sail into the terminal, a move that maritime experts warn would create more danger for surrounding neighborhoods.

For these reasons, Earthjustice has joined forces with Puerto Rico-based community and environmental groups to achieve a resilient, affordable energy future, one that’s powered by rooftop solar panels and battery storage. This can be achieved with billions of unspent funds allocated by FEMA in the wake of Hurricane María.

A group of volunteers from Comunidad Guayamesa Unidos por tu Salud help install a solar power system on the roof of a home in the Puente de Jobos community in Guayama, Puerto Rico. (Erika P. Rodriguez for Earthjustice)

Our partners and attorneys are encouraging FERC to withdraw New Fortress Energy’s temporary authorization and to protect these communities from methane gas operations. At the same time, we are asking PREB to reject LUMA’s rate hike request because this company has not made strides in improving electricity distribution, reducing operational costs, or using federal funds to upgrade the grid.

With his historic show, Bad Bunny reminded U.S audience — and particularly the Trump administration — of the injustices Puerto Ricans endure at the hands of private energy companies. Not only are we hearing his catchy repertoire, but also his call to keep up the good fight for millions of boricuas who demand a better future.

Read this explainer to learn more about our work in Puerto Rico.