On Thursday (5), Cuba restored its national electricity system after another blackout on Wednesday (4) left the island without power. This is the third national blackout to affect the country in almost two months.
The disconnection occurred after the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, one of the country's central power plants, failed. The incident happened amid significant precariousness in the national electricity system, with the country's other thermoelectric plants undergoing repairs outside the system and distributed generation paralyzed due to the fuel shortage.
According to the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, the damage was repaired late Wednesday night, and "all the units that were in the process of starting up have returned to the system."
The shutdown comes amid a serious energy crisis that has been affecting the country for months. On October 18, the country faced a total blackout in a dramatic moment just hours after the government declared on national television that the country was in an "energy emergency." The event left the island completely without electricity for several days.
The second total disconnection occurred after Hurricane Rafael hit the island on November 6, causing severe damage to power grids and infrastructure in western Cuba. According to official figures, Rafael caused total or partial damage to more than 46,000 homes, while 37,000 hectares of agricultural production were destroyed.
Since the first national disconnection two months ago, the country has suffered extended blackouts, affecting 50% of the national territory for more than 12 hours daily. The dramatic situation has caused enormous fatigue in a society already enduring a severe economic crisis in recent years.
The energy deficit and the blockade
Cuba's electricity is generated by thermoelectric plants over 30 years old and requiring frequent maintenance. These facilities are often taken offline for repairs, causing the country to suffer constant blackouts. Over the last year, these recurring blackouts have affected between 30% and 50% of the country's territory.
One of the main reasons Cuba has been unable to generate the investment needed to renew and maintain its electricity system is the illegal blockade that the island has endured for more than six decades. The measures against the country were intensified during the last administration of Donald Trump.
Unlike other countries, Cuba is prevented from accessing loans to modernize or improve its infrastructure. Simultaneously, the blockade hinders fuel imports and other essential goods the island needs.
The US sanctions any ship that enters a Cuban port, causing the island to face extraordinary increases in prices for importing necessary products. Energy imports are estimated to cost the Cuban state up to three times the average international price.
According to UN estimates, the illegal blockade imposed by Washington against Cuba generated an estimated loss of US$ 5.5 billion, or more than US$ 421 million a month, from March 1, 2023, to February 29, 2024 alone.
The US blockade of Cuba, which Washington refers to as an "embargo," consists of a series of economic and political measures designed to stifle the country's economy and weaken the government.
This so-called unconventional warfare strategy is based on a secret memorandum sent by then-US Undersecretary of State for Inter-American Affairs Lester D. Mallory to President Dwight Eisenhower (1953-1961). He suggested "the rapid application of all possible means to weaken the economic life of Cuba" to deprive the country of "money and supplies, reduce its financial resources and real wages, cause famine, despair and the overthrow of the government."
The blockade was formalized on February 7, 1962, when Democratic President John F. Kennedy declared a total embargo. Since then, the measure has been adopted by the following 11 US administrations, whether Democrat or Republican.
Edited by: Leandro Melito
