Power Outage Across Cuba for the Third Time in Two Months

Following a technical failure and reduced production, power was cut across Cuba on Wednesday for the third time in two months, plunging the country into darkness. This nationwide blackout occurs while Cuba is still grappling with the aftermath of two severe hurricanes in recent months, and its communist government faces an economic crisis and cash shortages. The Cuban Ministry of Energy and Mines announced around 2 AM local time on Wednesday, December 14, via a message on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), that 'electricity transmission was cut due to the failure of the Antonio Guiteras thermal power plant.' In late October of this year, a power outage lasting four days effectively halted daily life and activities in major cities, including Havana, the capital. In that instance, as on Wednesday, the cause of the nationwide blackout was reported to be the failure of the Antonio Guiteras thermal power plant, the largest of eight aging power plants in Cuba. After a few days, electricity transmission was restored across the country, but about ten days later, in mid-November, Hurricane Rafael struck, once again cutting the power transmission network. On Wednesday in Havana, schools were closed and non-essential government activities were halted, a situation reminiscent of previous power outages that has left the public extremely dissatisfied and angry. Cuban government officials have repeatedly stated that the main reason for the frequent blackouts is the difficulty in securing the fuel needed for power plants due to intensified U.S. sanctions against the country during the previous Trump administration. Cuba has faced severe U.S. trade sanctions for six decades, and the government attributes many of the country's problems to pressures from Washington. Additionally, Cuba has been suffering from a widespread economic crisis in recent years, described by experts as the most severe crisis since the collapse of the Soviet Union, which had played a significant role in supporting the Cuban government. The electricity needed for Cuba is supplied by eight aging oil-fired power plants that are constantly under repair, along with numerous generators and floating power plants rented from Turkey. These generators and floating power plants also operate on imported oil. Last month, limited protests, which are very rare in Cuba, were held in response to the continuous power cuts. Before the recent unrest, the largest protest in Cuba occurred in July 2021, when thousands of people took to the streets chanting 'We are hungry' and 'Freedom,' which experts say was the most serious challenge to the Cuban government in recent times. According to a civil organization based in Mexico that monitors and reports on human rights in Cuba, over 1,500 people were arrested during the 2021 protests, and about 600 of them are still in prison.