Cuba restores power to 70% of residents following nationwide blackout

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
23 Oct 2024 09:21
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Havana confirms that work is ongoing and underway to restore power across the rest of the country.

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People drive their vehicles past a floating generator in operation, in Havana, Cuba, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP)

Seventy percent of Cuba's population saw a power recovery after a hurricane caused nationwide power blackouts and left seven people dead, the government announced on Tuesday.

Electricity went off across the island on Friday after its main powerplant collapsed, impacting the nation's entire power grid. The situation was further exacerbated by Hurricane Oscar, which hit Cuba on Sunday as a Category 1 storm.

The hurricane killed seven people in a recently updated death toll, according to Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel.

However, Cuba was quick to recover, with 70.89% of its citizens regaining power since Tuesday morning. The Energy Ministry stated on X that it was working to restore services to the rest of the population.

Electricity supplies were restored to the majority of the capital [approximately two million people], with work underway to reinstate power outside of Havana.

Diaz-Canel attributed the ongoing difficulties to Cuba's challenges in securing fuel for its power plants, which he linked to the intensified US trade embargo during Donald Trump's presidency, a policy in place for over six decades.

The Cuban government assured that power would be fully restored by late Tuesday. In the meantime, authorities have suspended classes and most business activities until Wednesday, allowing only hospitals and essential services to remain operational.

Where does Cuba's energy supply come from?

The island's electricity comes from eight old coal-fired power plants, several of which are malfunctioning or undergoing maintenance. In addition, there are seven floating power plants leased from Turkish companies and numerous diesel generators.

In 2022, Diaz-Canel kicked off a tour of Russia, China, Algeria, and Turkey in pursuit of energy supplies amid a US-imposed blockade on the Caribbean Island, which has been causing blackouts and fuel shortages.

"After two years under the impact of COVID-19, we once again crossed the Atlantic for an intense tour, in which we will address essential issues for our country, fundamentally related to the electric power sector," the president said in an X (formerly Twitter) announcement.

Cuba has been under US sanctions for more than 60 years, leading its energy sector to rely on foreign parties, prompting Havana to sign energy sector-related agreements with the four host countries that Diaz-Canel said extended "official invitations" for him to visit.

Algeria, Russia, and Venezuela supply Cuba with oil, while several Cuban power plants rely on Soviet or Russian technology.