Running on Empty

Cuba is grappling with its worst blackout in at least two years, leaving millions without power for more than two days and underscoring the fragility of the island’s aging electrical grid, the Associated Press reported over the weekend.

The blackout began Thursday evening, affecting about half of Cuba, and worsened by Friday morning when the entire island lost power due to a failure at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, one of Cuba’s largest power facilities.

Although two thermoelectric plants have resumed operations and two more are expected to be back online soon, parts of Havana remain without power, with electricity fluctuating throughout the city.

Cuban authorities have enacted emergency measures to reduce electricity consumption, suspending school classes, shutting down state-owned workplaces, and cutting off non-essential services.

There is no clear timeline for full restoration, with officials saying that 1.64 gigawatts (GW) of capacity were offline during peak hours.

On Saturday, Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy announced that some electricity had been restored, with 500 megawatts available – but short of the usual 3 GW the grid produces.

Cuba’s electrical grid has been deteriorating for years, amid increased demand, outdated infrastructure and a lack of fuel, the New York Times noted.

Energy specialists have warned for years that Cuba’s decades-old thermoelectric plants – which have exceeded their operational lifespan – often rely on crude oil that damages their systems due to its high sulfur content, resulting in frequent breakdowns.

The country also suffers from a severe fuel shortage, producing only 40,000 barrels of fuel per day while consuming around 120,000 barrels. Historically, this shortfall was covered by subsidized oil shipments from Venezuela, but those imports have dropped to about 25,000 barrels per day.

Outages are not new in Cuba. Even so, this blackout has brought up comparisons with the severe economic crisis of the “Special Period” in the 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the country’s then-ally and benefactor.

The blackout also comes as the Caribbean nation grapples with years of economic malaise, prompting concerns of civil unrest breaking out.

The last major blackouts in July 2021 led to protests demanding electricity, food, and political change.

US officials said they fear a repeat of such unrest or even a mass exodus if conditions do not improve.