"The fuel shortage is the primary cause of the ongoing power crisis," Marrero stated in a televised message that was disrupted by technical issues and delayed by several hours.
by pacetulsa
HAVANA – A major power plant failure on Friday led to a complete blackout across Cuba. The Communist-run government had already taken steps to conserve energy by closing schools, non-essential industries, and sending state workers home in an attempt to prevent widespread outages.
The collapse of the national electrical grid has left millions of Cubans without power, disrupting daily life and exacerbating existing challenges.
According to officials, the severe weather conditions brought by Hurricane Milton last week have hindered the island’s ability to transport scarce fuel from offshore vessels to its power plants.”
“The Cuban energy ministry announced on X that a critical failure at the Antonio Guiteras Power Plant led to a complete blackout across the country at 11 a.m. ET on Friday.
“The Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric power plant, a key component of Cuba’s energy grid, experienced a shutdown early Wednesday morning. According to pro-government journalist José Miguel Solís, the outage was caused by a problem with the oil control system.
This latest setback comes just two months after the plant was reconnected to the national grid. Engineer Rubén Campos Olmos noted that a solution is not expected until Thursday, further straining Cuba’s already fragile energy situation.”
In Havana, the city was plunged into darkness as street lights failed and traffic came to a standstill. With limited access to generators, residents struggled to cope with the widespread power outage.”
Grid officials said they did not know how long it would take to re-establish service.
The crisis marks a new low on an island where life has become increasingly unbearable, with residents already suffering from shortages of food, fuel, water and medicine.
Cuban officials attributed the ongoing power crisis to a combination of factors, including increased US economic sanctions, disruptions caused by recent hurricanes, and the island’s deteriorating infrastructure.
In a televised address on Thursday, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz announced that much of the country’s economic activity had been halted in an effort to conserve power for the population. He acknowledged the severe fuel shortages that had plunged many areas into darkness but expressed optimism about upcoming fuel shipments.
The US Embassy in Cuba issued a warning on Friday, advising US citizens to take precautions and conserve resources due to the ongoing power outages.
PACE TULSA 