Cuba’s major energy plant failed on Thursday, then its national electricity grid collapsed on Friday, leaving millions of Cubans without power and much of the economy screeching to an halt. The energy ministry says it has no idea how long it will take to fix the problem
Prime Minister Manuel Marrero has declared an “energy emergency” after the island’s main power plant went offline on Thursday.
Cuba has been facing an energy crisis for months, exacerbated by Thursday’s main plant outage and Friday’s main grid failures.
President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez said restoring power is now his “Absolute priority.” Writing on X, he promised, “Until power is restored, there will be no rest.”
Hurricane And Sanctions
The government has announced a three-day halt on non-vital state services and businesses as the country struggles with the energy crisis. Prime Minister Manuel Marrero attributed the situation to deteriorating infrastructure, fuel shortages, and rising demand.
“The fuel shortage is the biggest factor,” Marrero said in a televised address, citing the country’s reliance on imported fuel.
President Miguel Diaz-Canel blamed the US’s “financial and energy persecution” for the difficulties in importing fuel.
Hurricane Milton then worsened the situation hampering fuel deliveries from boats offshore to power plants. Cuba’s two largest power plants, Antonio Guiteras and Felton, are under-producing.
To address the crisis, officials plan to increase power generation and charge private businesses higher electricity rates. Cuba’s fast-growing private sector, which authorities say tends to be a high electricity consumer, will bear the brunt of taking on higher electricity rates.
The energy woes have exacerbated food, fuel, water, and medicine shortages. Around 600,000 people, or 5% of the population, lack regular running water due to the country’s crumbling infrastructure and fuel needs. Violent crime is also increasing.
Cuba’s largest oil supplier, Venezuela, has reduced shipments to 32,600 barrels daily, barely half the 60,000 bpd sent in 2023.
Cuba’s allies, Russia and Mexico, have also significantly reduced fuel shipments, leaving Cuba to rely on the far costlier global oil market. It used to get cheaper supplies from friends, but its friends are all struggling now, too.
Glimmer of Hope
Nevertheless, despite the challenges, on Saturday, Cuba began restoring power in scattered pockets of Havana, including major hospitals.
Grid operator UNE hopes to restart at least five oil-fired generation plants to provide enough electricity to begin returning power to other areas.
The crisis had brought life to a standstill, with commerce grinding to a halt and frustrated tourists. “We went to a restaurant, and they had no food because there was no power. Now we are also without internet,” complained Brazilian tourist Carlos Roberto Julio.
For many Cubans, the nationwide blackout is just one of many life’s challenges in this poor, cash-strapped Caribbean island nation. “We’re in total crisis,” said one Cuban, shrugging his shoulders as he played his dominoes game.
Comment, Like 👍, share this article, and Follow us on our social media handles.
WhatsApp Channel
Telegram Channel
