Residents in Cuba found themselves cooking soup over open fires as a major blackout struck the island following the failure of a significant power plant. This incident, which has been deemed the worst blackout in over two years, left millions without electricity for two days.
– The Cuban government announced on Saturday that some electricity had been restored, with Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy reporting 500 megawatts in the electrical grid, a stark contrast to the usual output of 3 gigawatts.
– De la O Levy confirmed via social media that several substations in the western region were back online, and two thermoelectric power plants had resumed operations, with plans for two more to follow shortly.
– The blackout initially began on Thursday evening, plunging half of Cuba into darkness, followed by a complete blackout by Friday morning after the power plant failure.
– Havana’s electricity company noted that a part of the western system remained disconnected due to the loss of one of the operational plants, causing further reductions in power availability.
– As a result, many areas of the capital, home to around 2 million residents, experienced a quiet day on Saturday, illuminated only by candles and lamps.
– The repercussions of the blackout extend beyond lighting, impacting essential services such as water supply, which relies on electricity for pumping.
– This incident is particularly significant given that it follows previous outages caused by a Category 3 hurricane that damaged power facilities, leading to lengthy periods without electricity for many households.
– While multiple power plants exist in Cuba, it remains unclear whether they are functioning properly; the government has not provided a timeline for restoring full power.
– In response to the crisis, the government implemented emergency measures aimed at reducing electricity consumption, including suspending classes at schools and universities, shutting down certain state-run businesses, and canceling nonessential services.
– During peak hours, officials reported that 1.64 gigawatts of power went offline, representing approximately half of the total demand at that time.
