HAVANA (AP) — A power grid failure on a Cuban island left millions without electricity for two days. Large power plants failed. The power outage across the district is the worst it has been in years.
It is with the authorities Some regained power In Cuba’s capital of 2 million people, but most of Havana is in darkness. The Effect of electrical resistance Services such as water supply also depend on electricity to run pumps, beyond lighting.
Before food went bad in refrigerators, people resorted to cooking on the streets with improvised wood stoves.
Here are some things to know:
What happened and why?
Half of Cuba was plunged into darkness Thursday evening, followed by the entire island Friday morning following the failure of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant in Matanzas province, east of Havana.
Even in a country accustomed to frequent outages for decades Amidst the ongoing economic crisis, Barring incidents involving powerful hurricanes like the one in 2022, grid outages are unprecedented in modern times.
Even as Cuba worked to fix power problems on Saturday, the country issued hurricane watches for the far eastern provinces of Guantanamo, Holguin and Las Dunas as the tropical storm developed. Hurricane OscarThe 10th hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season.
A man drives his American classic car during a major power outage after a major power plant failed in Havana, Cuba, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinoza)
The National Hurricane Center said Sunday that Oscar is expected to develop a dangerous storm surge in the southeastern Bahamas and parts of Cuba.
Officials said the outage that began Thursday stemmed from increased demand from small and medium-sized businesses and residential air conditioners — 100,000 more this year alone. They alleged that the old thermoelectric plants were dilapidated and not properly maintained due to lack of hard currency due to US sanctions and insufficient fuel to run some facilities.
Has this happened before?
While some homes have spent up to eight hours a day without power this year, the power grid has grown so unstable that the current blackout is considered Cuba’s worst in years.
Officials said 1.64 GW went offline during peak hours, which was half of the total demand at that time. The government implemented emergency measures to reduce demand, suspending classes, closing some state-owned workplaces and canceling non-essential services.
Another major collapse occurred two years ago, when Hurricane Ian, an intense Category 3 storm, damaged electrical installations and took days for the government to repair.
Are there any political consequences?
It is unclear how Cubans will react if the current blackout continues or recurs.
But problems with the electricity grid have helped spark street protests several times in recent years, including large demonstrations in July 2021, leading to international criticism for the government’s harsh response. There were also smaller demonstrations due to power outages in October 2022 and March this year.
Officials say that changes have been made in power charges for small and medium enterprises. First approved by the communist government in 2021is being considered.
What next?
State-owned power company UNE is using distributed generation to power parts of the island, and a gas-fired thermoelectric plant is starting to operate, officials said.
Cuba gets its power from large thermoelectric plants like the Antonio Guiteras and some smaller ones that require crude oil to operate. The country produces about half of the crude oil it needs, but some of the rest must be bought on the international market, which can be difficult and expensive because of US sanctions. It also depends on allies like Venezuela and Russia for cheap fuel.
Officials have been working since last year on a plan to upgrade the island’s power grid using alternative energy sources. A plan to set up 31 solar power generation centers has been implemented and is slated to be completed next year.
“We devote absolute priority to addressing and resolving these highly sensitive contingencies,” Miguel Díaz-Canel, President of Cuba Wrote in X. “There will be no rest until its restoration.”
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