Millions of Cubans without power as grid collapse crisis deepens
20 October 2024 - 20:28
byDave Sherwood, Marc Frank and Chizy Nomiyama
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Cuban police remove debris used to block a street during a protest against a blackout, in Havana, Cuba, October 19 2024. Picture: REUTERS/NORLYS PEREZ
Havana — Millions of Cubans awoke on Sunday to find their homes still without power after another partial grid failure overnight, deepening a crisis that has raised questions over the viability of the government’s efforts to re-establish electrical service.
The country’s top electricity official, Lazaro Guerra, confirmed a partial grid collapse in the western provinces of Cuba, which includes Havana, late on Saturday.
Technicians were working to resolve the issue, Guerra said, but did not provide a timeline for when power would be restored to the region.
The capital of nearly 2-million residents appeared to be entirely without electricity early on Sunday, as many Cubans formed lines for subsidised rations and mulled the situation outside their homes.
State-run digital news outlet CubaDebate reported that the country's largest power plant, Antonio Guiteras, was back online on Sunday and would begin contributing to a restoration of service over the course of the day.
A third grid failure late on Saturday marked a setback in the government’s efforts to quickly restore power to exhausted residents already suffering from severe shortages of food, medicine and fuel.
The clock was ticking as Hurricane Oscar bore down on northeastern Cuba on Sunday, threatening to further complicate the government’s plans to restore power.
Cuba’s meteorological survey warned of “an extremely dangerous situation” in eastern Cuba. The entire region was largely without electricity or communication ahead of the storm, which packed winds as high as 161km/h.
Cuba’s national electrical grid first crashed around midday on Friday after the island’s largest power plant shut down, sowing chaos. The grid collapsed again on Saturday morning, state-run media reported. By early evening on Saturday, authorities reported some progress restoring power before announcing another partial grid collapse.
“The process of re-establishing the electrical system continues to be complex,” Cuba’s energy ministry said on X.
Protests
Two small protests were held overnight after a grid failure left Havana in the dark late Saturday, one on the outskirts of the capital in Marianao and the other in the more central Cuatro Caminos. Various videos of protests elsewhere in the capital began to crop up on social media late on Saturday, though Reuters was not able to verify their authenticity.
Internet traffic dropped off sharply in Cuba on Saturday, according to data from internet monitoring group NetBlocks, as vast power outages made it all but impossible for most island residents to charge phones and get online.
“Network data show that Cuba remains largely offline as the island experiences a second nationwide power outage,” Netblocks said on Saturday.
Even before the grid failures, a dire electricity shortfall on Friday had forced Cuba’s communist-run government to send nonessential state workers home and cancel school as it sought to conserve fuel.
The government has blamed weeks of worsening blackouts — as long as 10 to 20 hours a day across much of the island — on deteriorating infrastructure, fuel shortages and rising demand.
Cuba also blames the US trade embargo, as well as sanctions instituted by then-President Donald Trump, for difficulties in acquiring fuel and spare parts to operate and maintain its oil-fired plants. The US has denied any role in the grid failures.
Cuba produces little of its own crude oil. Fuel deliveries to the island have dropped this year as Venezuela, Russia and Mexico, once important suppliers, have reduced their exports to Cuba. Ally Venezuela slashed by half its deliveries of subsidised fuel to Cuba this year, forcing the island to search for more costly oil on the spot market.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Millions of Cubans without power as grid collapse crisis deepens
Havana — Millions of Cubans awoke on Sunday to find their homes still without power after another partial grid failure overnight, deepening a crisis that has raised questions over the viability of the government’s efforts to re-establish electrical service.
The country’s top electricity official, Lazaro Guerra, confirmed a partial grid collapse in the western provinces of Cuba, which includes Havana, late on Saturday.
Technicians were working to resolve the issue, Guerra said, but did not provide a timeline for when power would be restored to the region.
The capital of nearly 2-million residents appeared to be entirely without electricity early on Sunday, as many Cubans formed lines for subsidised rations and mulled the situation outside their homes.
State-run digital news outlet CubaDebate reported that the country's largest power plant, Antonio Guiteras, was back online on Sunday and would begin contributing to a restoration of service over the course of the day.
A third grid failure late on Saturday marked a setback in the government’s efforts to quickly restore power to exhausted residents already suffering from severe shortages of food, medicine and fuel.
The clock was ticking as Hurricane Oscar bore down on northeastern Cuba on Sunday, threatening to further complicate the government’s plans to restore power.
Cuba’s meteorological survey warned of “an extremely dangerous situation” in eastern Cuba. The entire region was largely without electricity or communication ahead of the storm, which packed winds as high as 161km/h.
Cuba’s national electrical grid first crashed around midday on Friday after the island’s largest power plant shut down, sowing chaos. The grid collapsed again on Saturday morning, state-run media reported. By early evening on Saturday, authorities reported some progress restoring power before announcing another partial grid collapse.
“The process of re-establishing the electrical system continues to be complex,” Cuba’s energy ministry said on X.
Protests
Two small protests were held overnight after a grid failure left Havana in the dark late Saturday, one on the outskirts of the capital in Marianao and the other in the more central Cuatro Caminos. Various videos of protests elsewhere in the capital began to crop up on social media late on Saturday, though Reuters was not able to verify their authenticity.
Internet traffic dropped off sharply in Cuba on Saturday, according to data from internet monitoring group NetBlocks, as vast power outages made it all but impossible for most island residents to charge phones and get online.
“Network data show that Cuba remains largely offline as the island experiences a second nationwide power outage,” Netblocks said on Saturday.
Even before the grid failures, a dire electricity shortfall on Friday had forced Cuba’s communist-run government to send nonessential state workers home and cancel school as it sought to conserve fuel.
The government has blamed weeks of worsening blackouts — as long as 10 to 20 hours a day across much of the island — on deteriorating infrastructure, fuel shortages and rising demand.
Cuba also blames the US trade embargo, as well as sanctions instituted by then-President Donald Trump, for difficulties in acquiring fuel and spare parts to operate and maintain its oil-fired plants. The US has denied any role in the grid failures.
Cuba produces little of its own crude oil. Fuel deliveries to the island have dropped this year as Venezuela, Russia and Mexico, once important suppliers, have reduced their exports to Cuba. Ally Venezuela slashed by half its deliveries of subsidised fuel to Cuba this year, forcing the island to search for more costly oil on the spot market.
Reuters
Harris courts voters in church as Trump heads for McDonalds
Barack Obama asks Pennsylvania’s male voters to reject Donald Trump’s bravado
Hurricane Milton leaves millions without power in Florida
Glitch makes X temporarily available in Brazil
Spain denies links to alleged Venezuela plot
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most Read
Published by Arena Holdings and distributed with the Financial Mail on the last Thursday of every month except December and January.