Cuba restores some energy following major power outage
Date
10/20/2024 6:26:29 AM
(MENAFN) Some electricity has been restored in Cuba following the island nation’s most severe blackout in at least two years, which left millions without power for two days. Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy announced on Saturday that 500 megawatts were back in the electrical grid, a stark contrast to the usual 3 gigawatts of generation. He updated the public on social media platform X, indicating that several substations in the western part of the country had regained power.
De la O Levy also noted that two thermoelectric power plants have resumed operations, with plans for two additional plants to come back online in the next few hours. The blackout began Thursday evening, affecting about half of Cuba before fully plunging the island into darkness by Friday morning due to the failure of a power plant. Earlier statements from Havana's electricity company revealed that part of the western electrical system had been disconnected, resulting in further outages as the megawatts dropped from 500 to 370.
In the capital city of Havana, home to approximately 2 million residents, the streets were quiet on Saturday, with few vehicles on the road after a night illuminated only by candles and lamps. The impact of the blackout extends beyond lighting; essential services such as water supply also rely on electricity to operate pumping systems. This blackout has been characterized as Cuba's worst in two years, reminiscent of a previous incident where a Category 3 hurricane severely damaged power infrastructure, leaving the government struggling to restore service for days. Many homes this year have faced power outages lasting up to eight hours daily.
The Cuban government has declared emergency measures to reduce electricity demand in response to the crisis, which includes suspending school and university classes, closing certain state-owned enterprises, and canceling nonessential services. Officials indicated that approximately 1.64 gigawatts of power went offline during peak hours, representing about half of the total demand at that time. With the current situation, there is no official timeline for when full power will be restored, and the scale of Friday’s outage was unprecedented, even for a nation accustomed to frequent power disruptions amid an escalating economic crisis.
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