Massive blackout strikes Cuba, govt suspends schools, workplaces

Cuba has experienced a significant blackout on Friday after a critical failure at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, leaving millions of residents without power and prompting immediate government action.

The outage, which began late Thursday, forced authorities to implement emergency measures that included shutting down schools, halting some state-owned enterprises, and canceling nonessential services.

According to the Cuban energy ministry, the grid went offline around 11 a.m. local time after the Guiteras plant ceased operations, resulting in a loss of 1.64 gigawatts during peak hours.

Despite efforts to restore power through distributed generation and the activation of other gas-fired plants, many areas remained in darkness as night fell.

“The power went out at 8 in the morning and it is now 5 in the afternoon and there is no electricity anywhere,” lamented Luis González, a 73-year-old retiree in Havana.

Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero addressed the nation via television, emphasizing the government’s commitment to resolving the crisis. “From the highest levels of the state, we are working to solve this energy contingency as soon as possible.

We will not rest until service is restored,” he stated. Marrero revealed that the outage was exacerbated by increased demand from small and medium-sized businesses, coupled with breakdowns in aging infrastructure and fuel shortages.

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The U.S. Embassy in Havana issued a statement acknowledging the ongoing situation, warning citizens to plan accordingly amid reports of cellphone and internet outages. “As of 4 p.m. Eastern Time, there was no update on when power will be restored to the island,” the embassy noted.

In response to the crisis, Marrero indicated that the government is considering adjustments to electricity rates for small and medium-sized businesses, which have proliferated since their authorization in 2021. Meanwhile, he assured the public of an expected influx of fuel supplies from the state-owned oil company.

Even in a nation accustomed to frequent outages, this blackout has left Cubans uneasy. Many residents took precautions by shutting doors and windows, with candles flickering in homes across the capital. Yasunay Pérez, a local resident, expressed her frustration with a hint of sarcasm, saying she was “willing and able to bathe in the sea” if the power outage continued.

As darkness envelops the island, the urgency for a solution grows, with millions of Cubans anxiously awaiting the return of electricity.