Restoration of Puerto Rico's one of the largest power plants needs one year before it can fully recover.
(Photo : Reuters)

The Costa Sur Power Plant is one of the largest and most damaged power plants in Puerto. The head of the power plant said that its restoration could take more than one year. 

The 6.4 magnitude earthquake and series of aftershocks have cost damage to its main structures, not to mention its one of the largest power plants in the world. The earthquake was considered the worst this century and it even led to an island-wide power outage. 

The Costa Sur Power Plant is located in the Southern town of Guayanilla, near the epicenter of the 6.4 magnitude earthquake that devastated and destroyed lots of properties and even led to the death of one person. According to Jose Ortiz on Thursday, head of Puerto Rico's power authority, the Costa Sur could remain offline for up to one year.

According to NBC News, Puerto Rico would rely on its other power plants to meet the electric demand of the Puerto Ricans. Meanwhile, Ortiz said that they already requested temporary generators from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to meet the demand of its consumers affected by the earthquake. 

Costa Sur Plant, the damaged power plant, has been providing about a quarter of the total homes and businesses on the island. Ortiz said in an interview, "Costa Sur is a disaster and there are structural damage and damage to equipment. Repairs could take months, perhaps up to one year. It's unsafe to be there right now. It's life-threatening. Yesterday, when we were inspecting it with the people from FEMA, we had to leave when an aftershock started."

The island's power authority said on Friday that it has restored its power to 1.5 million customers or around 80 percent. According to the United States Geological Survey there were more than 120 aftershocks felt by Puerto Rico after the earthquake that happened two days ago.  

Moreover, in a report from the island's largest newspaper, the water boilers used to generate electricity at the power plant came off their bases during the earthquake. Some of the structural damages in the power plants are the cracks that prompted oil spills and there are some metal and concrete that fell off the machines. 

Some of the residents of the southwestern part of the archipelago saw the worst damage and shared their experience during the earthquake. One said that he felt like he was reliving aftermath of the Hurricane Maria. The power outage caused by the hurricane is the world's second-longest blackout.

Carlos Camacho, a resident who lives near the epicenter, said: "This feels like another blow that we didn't see coming, another Maria in less than three years and I don't even have more tears to cry."

Camacho is one of the displaced residents and is now living in a makeshift tent. These people either lost their house or are afraid to go back to their house, as it might collapse anytime due to the continuing aftershocks. 

Hundreds of buildings collapsed due to the earthquake and aftershocks. The Escuela Agripina Seda, which serves more than 250 middle school students, was also destroyed.