Cuba suffers nationwide power outage

According to Reuters , Cuba suffered a nationwide power outage on October 18 (local time), after one of the country's major power plants had a problem that caused the national grid to stop working.

A woman prepares food under the light of her mobile phone in Havana, Cuba, October 18. (Photo: Reuters)

Cuba's Energy Ministry said the "failure" of the Antonio Guiteras power plant "caused a complete disconnection of the national electricity system".

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said restoring the power grid was the government's "top priority" and "there will be no respite" until power is restored.

Many videos and images circulating online show life in Cuba without electricity.

“We went to the restaurant but they couldn't serve us food because there was no electricity, and now we don't even have internet,” said Brazilian tourist Carlos Roberto Julio in Havana.

Cuban officials say steps have begun to restore power, but the process will take time.

The power outage has brought activities in Cuba to a near standstill. (Photo: Reuters)

The uncontrolled blackout began across Cuba on the evening of October 17, as Prime Minister Manuel Marrero gave a televised speech. The broadcast itself experienced “technical difficulties” and went live later than scheduled.

In his speech, Mr. Marrero said the causes of the worsening power outages in recent weeks were deteriorating infrastructure, fuel shortages and increased demand.

“Fuel shortages are the biggest factor,” Marrero said, citing Hurricane Milton last week, which affected the ability of offshore vessels to transfer fuel to Cuba’s power plants. The Cuban government also pointed to the US trade embargo as the cause.

While demand for electricity has increased with the growth of Cuba’s private sector, fuel supplies have dried up. Cuba’s largest oil supplier, Venezuela, has reduced oil shipments to the island to an average of 32,600 barrels a day in the first nine months of the year, about half the 60,000 barrels a day in the same period in 2023.

Venezuelan oil refiner PDVSA is also struggling with domestic fuel shortages, leaving only small amounts to export to allies like Cuba.

Russia and Mexico have also significantly reduced fuel shipments to Cuba.

Hoa Vu (Source: Reuters, RT)

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/cuba-mat-dien-toan-quoc-ar902652.html