Cuba’s Energy Ministry reports that one of the island’s primary power facilities failed on October 18, 2024, resulting in a complete blackout that affected the 10 million people living there.
The 2-million-person capital, Havana, had electricity restored to around 20,000 of its citizens, according to an announcement made by the authorities on Friday night.
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In Cuba, power outages have been a recurring problem for many years, and they have gotten worse recently. However, during the last three days, the situation became so dire that the government had to take action to keep the lights on.
In an attempt to save electricity, it was declared the night before the event that schools would be closed and the majority of governmental employees would work from home. However, it was insufficient, and by the morning of the 18th at 11 a.m., the nation’s largest power plant, Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric, shut down, resulting in a grid breakdown.
The outdated and dilapidated infrastructure of the communist-run nation has regular outages due to maintenance issues and fuel shortages. Many individuals have been experiencing blackouts that can persist for up to 20 hours at a period in many areas outside of Havana.
On social media platform X, Miguel Díaz-Canel, the president of Cuba, stated that resolving the issue is their top priority and that they won’t stop until electricity is restored.
Manuel Marrero, the prime minister of Cuba, reportedly attributed the continuous blackouts on the country’s failing infrastructure, dwindling gasoline supplies, and growing populace demand.
The amount of oil available has been severely constrained, despite an increase in the demand for power. Venezuela, Cuba’s principal energy source and friend, has cut back on the volume of goods it ships to the island. The amount of oil sent from other nations, such as Mexico and Russia, has also significantly decreased.
The length of time it would take to restore electricity to the entire island was claimed to be unknown by the authorities.
Blackouts are nothing new to Cubans, but this specific incident has alarmed a lot of people. People in a Havana neighborhood voiced concern about the state of affairs on a walk; one resident remarked that it seemed as though the nation had hit the “bottom of the barrel.”
“This is amazing,” a resident of Havana said, choosing not to reveal his identity. “I don’t think there is a way to solve this issue.”
A resident in an Old Havana area expressed concern that things might worsen.
“It really worries me that we may not yet be at the bottom of this electricity crisis,” she told NBC News.
The Cuban government has long held the long-standing U.S. embargo responsible for a number of the island’s economic woes, including the inability to get fuel and replacement components for its factories. One of the most profitable sectors of the state-run economy, the island’s tourist sector was severely damaged by the epidemic and Donald Trump’s intensified sanctions during his presidency.
The lack of food, medication, and gasoline due to the economic crisis has already made life tough for the typical Cuban.
