Cuba experienced a nationwide blackout on Friday following the failure of one of its key power plants, as reported by the country’s energy ministry.
In a post on X, the ministry indicated that the breakdown of the Antonio Guiteras Power Plant led to the complete disconnection of the National Electrical System starting at 11 a.m. ET on that day.
Escalating energy crisis
On the streets of Havana, drivers found it challenging to navigate through a city devoid of functioning traffic lights, with only a few police officers present to manage traffic flow. Generators are a rarity for most Cubans, and only a limited number were operational throughout the city.
Amid the escalating energy crisis, Cuba’s government announced stringent measures aimed at conserving electricity, which included instructing numerous workers to remain home.
Cuba shares energy-saving measures
Schools canceled classes from Friday through the weekend, nightclubs and recreational facilities were ordered to close, and only essential workers were permitted to report to their jobs, as outlined in a list of energy-saving measures released by the state-run website Cubadebate earlier that day.
For the past several days, millions on the communist-run island have been experiencing power outages due to the persistent failures of the aging electrical grid. Cuban officials attributed the issues to a combination of factors, including intensified U.S. economic sanctions, disruptions from recent hurricanes, and the deteriorating state of the island’s infrastructure.
Cuba without electricity
In a televised speech on Thursday, which faced delays due to technical problems, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz explained that much of the country’s limited energy production had been halted to prevent a total blackout. He mentioned that efforts were being made to generate power for the population.
Marrero acknowledged that fuel shortages had left significant portions of Cuba without electricity but expressed optimism that upcoming shipments by boat would alleviate the situation. He reassured the public that the country was not in an insurmountable crisis.
The energy crisis in Cuba is longstanding, with the island’s aging infrastructure suffering from inadequate maintenance for years, leading to recurrent blackouts since the 1990s. The situation worsened in 2022 due to a fire at a fuel facility in Matanzas, which destroyed 40% of the country’s main fuel storage capacity.
Vicente de la O Levy, the Minister of Energy and Mines, has been sounding the alarm since March regarding the difficulties posed by the conditions of thermoelectric plants, according to statements made on state television.
Thermoelectric plants malfunctioning or undergoing maintenance
Currently, seven out of the eight thermoelectric plants that provide energy to Cuba are either malfunctioning or undergoing maintenance, as stated in a recent announcement by the Cuban Electric Union and the Ministry of Energy and Mines.
Additionally, the Cuban Electric Union reported that 37 power generation facilities are non-operational due to fuel shortages, located in regions such as Mariel and Santiago de Cuba.
On Monday, Cuban authorities announced the installation of solar energy panels aimed at boosting the island’s energy generation capacity. However, the first of these projects, expected to generate around 1,000 watts of electricity per hour, will not be operational for another two years.
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