Aging power grid collapsed
In Cuba, the aging and worn-out power grid collapsed on Friday morning, leading to an island-wide blackout. Since then, large parts of the country with around ten million inhabitants have had to make do without electricity. In parts of Cuba’s capital Havana, which lies to the west of the north coast, power was restored on Saturday afternoon, but was cut off again about six hours later.
The country, which is ruled authoritarianly by the Communist Party, has been experiencing one of its worst economic crises for several years since the revolution of 1959. Among other things, food, medicine and fuel are in short supply. The state lacks foreign currency to import. Many Cubans are fleeing abroad; according to the government, the population shrank by a total of almost ten percent in 2022 and 2023 alone.
Minister: restore supply by Tuesday
Cuba’s Energy Minister Vicente de la O said power could be gradually restored to all connections by Tuesday. But the situation remains tense. According to him, due to problems in some power plants, including strong winds, the power grid had to be restarted several times. De la O blamed the US embargo, which has been in place for more than 60 years, for the fact that Cuba cannot buy enough fuel or spare parts for its power plants. Some countries – including Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, Russia and Barbados – have offered their support, but so far no help is on the way to Cuba. The government temporarily suspended all non-essential administrative activities, also because of the hurricane.
