A power outage plunges Cuba into Darkness. October 18, 2024. (AP Photo)
Cuba’s electrical grid collapsed on Friday following the failure of one of the island’s major power plants, leaving millions in the dark. This came just a day after a massive blackout swept across the country, with no clear timeline for when power might be restored.
The Cuban energy ministry confirmed the outage occurred shortly after the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant stopped working around 11 a.m. local time. State-owned power company UNE is using distributed generation to supply electricity to some areas, while a gas-powered plant is starting up. However, as evening fell, many Cubans were still without power.
While power outages are common in Cuba due to an ongoing economic crisis, this particular collapse is seen as one of the worst in recent history, except for those caused by hurricanes. In 2022, a hurricane led to similar widespread outages. Requests for more details on Friday’s blackout went unanswered, and it’s unclear whether Cuba’s other power plants remain functional.
Luis González, a 73-year-old resident of Havana, said, “The power has been out since 8 in the morning, and now it’s 5 in the afternoon with still no electricity.”
Prime Minister Manuel Marrero addressed the situation early Friday, acknowledging that Thursday’s blackout was already the worst in two years. During peak hours, about 1.64 gigawatts of electricity went offline, which is half of the country’s total demand. Emergency measures were put in place, including suspending classes, closing some state-run workplaces, and canceling non-essential services.
Marrero, accompanied by UNE chief Alfredo López, explained that the power outage was due to rising demand from small and medium-sized businesses, as well as old, poorly maintained thermoelectric plants. Fuel shortages have also hampered the operation of several facilities.
To calm concerns, Marrero mentioned that a new fuel shipment is expected from the state oil company. Meanwhile, Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel assured citizens on social media that solving the energy crisis is the government’s top priority. Nonetheless, as night approached, there was no sign of relief for the millions still left without electricity.
