Cuba is grappling with widespread blackouts for the fourth consecutive day as Tropical Storm Oscar makes landfall on the island’s eastern coast, bringing heavy rains and strong winds. This comes at a time when the country is already facing an unprecedented power crisis.
Protests Erupt as Blackouts Continue
In the southwestern Havana neighborhood of Santo Suárez, residents took to the streets in protest, banging pots and pans Sunday night. The protesters, who have also been without water, blocked the streets with garbage, demanding immediate action to restore basic services.
Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy addressed the nation in a press conference, expressing hopes that the power grid could be restored by Monday or Tuesday. However, he warned that Oscar would likely cause further delays, as it impacts a key region for electricity generation, including the vital Felton and Renté power plants in Holguín and Santiago de Cuba.
Tropical Storm Oscar’s Impact on Power Recovery
Though Oscar has weakened to a tropical storm after making landfall, its effects are expected to persist through Monday. The storm’s trajectory threatens the areas that are home to Cuba’s most important power plants, further complicating efforts to restore electricity.
While some neighborhoods in the capital city of Havana, which houses 2 million people, have seen power restored, the majority of the city remains in darkness. The blackout’s reach extends beyond lighting, disrupting water supplies that rely on electric pumps, leaving many areas without access to clean water.
Daily Life Grinds to a Halt
The blackout has significantly impacted daily life in Cuba. With refrigerators unable to keep food from spoiling, many residents have resorted to cooking over improvised wood stoves in the streets. Ylenis de la Caridad Napoles, a mother of a seven-year-old girl, tearfully expressed her frustration, saying she is reaching a point of “desperation.”
The energy crisis began on Friday when a failure at the Antonio Guiteras power plant caused a nationwide collapse of Cuba’s electricity grid. This latest incident is part of a series of ongoing issues with the country’s energy distribution, with frequent outages and power rationing across different regions.
The Struggle to Meet Basic Needs
On Sunday, long lines formed outside the few bakeries that managed to reopen, as residents waited for hours to buy bread. Rosa Rodríguez, one of the many Cubans without electricity for four days, voiced her frustration, stating, “We have millions of problems, and none of them are solved.”
This blackout is considered the worst since Hurricane Ian struck Cuba in 2022, causing significant damage to power installations. Repairs took days at that time, and now, some homes have been left without power for up to eight hours each day.
Cuba’s Power Crisis Worsens
The Cuban government announced on Saturday that it had restored some electricity, but the power supply remains far below the country’s needs. The island’s grid, typically requiring around 3 gigawatts of power, is currently only generating 370 megawatts, far short of the 500 megawatts it had restored earlier.
The scope of this crisis is unprecedented, even for a country accustomed to frequent outages due to its deepening economic challenges. Friday’s grid collapse was one of the largest Cuba has experienced in recent years.
Emergency Measures and International Support
In response to the ongoing power crisis, Cuba’s government has enacted emergency measures to reduce electricity consumption. These measures include suspending school and university classes, closing some state-run workplaces, and canceling nonessential services.
Local authorities have attributed the blackout to rising demand from small- and medium-sized businesses, as well as increased use of residential air conditioners. Compounding the issue are breakdowns in outdated thermoelectric plants that have not been adequately maintained, along with a shortage of fuel to run other facilities.
Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy stated that Cuba’s power grid would be in better condition if not for two additional partial blackouts that occurred as officials attempted to reconnect the grid on Saturday. He also mentioned that several countries, including Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, and Russia, have offered to assist Cuba in its recovery efforts.