Cuba experienced a massive blackout: 10 million inhabitants are without electricity

HAVANA — Cuba’s electrical system collapsed on Friday due to the loss of operation of one of the largest thermoelectric plants on the island, hours after the largest power outage that affected half the population, and with no certainty about when the service will be fully restored.

The Ministry of Energy and Mines reported in a message on X, formerly Twitter, that at 11:00 a.m. local time, “the total disconnection of the National Electric System occurred” due to the unexpected shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant in the province of Matanzas.

Authorities were seeking to reconnect the system gradually with a protocol that would turn on areas – or microsystems – to begin to link them, they explained.

The Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O, said on his X account, formerly Twitter, that there were already some 500 megawatts served and several substations activated, two thermoelectric plants starting up and two more would be added in the following hours “increasing generation.”

However, a statement from the Havana Electric Company reported that at about 6:00 a.m. on Saturday “the disconnection of the western microsystem occurred, after the departure of one of the units that provided service,” throwing back the supply of light that was already being provided in some neighborhoods of the capital.

The streets of Havana – the capital of the island and home to some two million people – dawned quiet with little traffic of cars, after a night in which most spent it illuminated with candles or lanterns and with services that depend on energy cut off, such as water pumping.

People went out to do some fruit and vegetable shopping or to spend the stress of not having electricity on their balconies and doorways; while some children ran around and played ball. Many Cubans did not hide their concern and the negative impact on their lives.

The electrical emergency came at a time when the island is going through a severe economic crisis of at least four years caused by the paralysis of the COVID-19 pandemic, the implementation of a package of domestic financial reforms to unify the currency and a radical increase in US sanctions pressuring a change of political model on the island.

Engineer Lázaro Guerra, from the Ministry of Energy and Mines, acknowledged that he could not predict how long the reconnection process would take, although he said that the Guiteras fault that caused the collapse had been repaired.

In 2022, after the passage of Category 3 Hurricane Ian that hit the west of the island, a massive and national disconnection like this was reported that took days to resolve.

The summer months and up to November are usually when electricity is in high demand in Cuba, which is worse in the afternoon and at night, when families also use electricity to cook food.

Source of information: abc7

Cuba experienced a massive blackout: 10 million inhabitants are without electricity