Nationwide power failure hits Cuba, leaving millions in total darkness.
By golly, it's dark as a bat's bum down in Cuba tonight, mate. The whole damn thing went belly up on Friday night, and over 10 million people have been left twisting in the wind.
The Ministry of Energy and Mines spilled the beans in a statement, claiming a failure at the Diezmero substation caused a massive loss of generation in western Cuba and the subsequent collapse of the National Electric System.
But fear not, they've rolled up their sleeves and are putting in the elbow grease to get the power back on, they say.
CNN managed to catch some footage of Havana shrouded in complete and utter darkness, with the only lights coming from passing cars.
You see, this ain't our first rodeo. It's just the latest in a series of failures on an island that's been stretched to its breaking point with creaky infrastructure, natural disasters, and economic troubles.
The Cuban officials ain't shy about pinning the blame on the US economic sanctions, which they claim have just made an already sickly energy sector hit rock bottom[3]. Critics, on the other hand, chalk it up to a lack of government investment in the infrastructure[4].
Now, for nearly a week back in October, most of Cuba was left in the dark, dealing with the worst energy outages they've seen in decades.
This story's far from over, so keep your eyes peeled for updates.
Here's the lowdown on what's causing Cuba's power woes:
- Fuel Shortages: Cuba's been having a hell of a time getting their mitts on enough fuel to meet their energy needs. This little shortage puts a ton of strain on the grid, leading to those repeated power outages[1][2][4].
- Aging Infrastructure: Oh, the irony. Cuba's electrical infrastructure's about as modern as my granny's flip phone. It's worn out, shattered, and can't handle the peak demand efficiently, making it a prime suspect for those power grid collapses[2][4].
These problems are just layered onto Cuba's economic challenges and the impact of international policies, such as the US embargo[3], like icing on a cake you didn't even want in the first place. The mix of these factors has led to regular and widespread power outages across the island[1][3][4].
America and the world are watching as Cuba grapples with a prolonged power crisis, following the collapse of their National Electric System due to a failure at the Diezmero substation. The energy sector, already stricken by fuel shortages and aged infrastructure, is further stressed by international policies like the US embargo, causing widespread blackouts across the island. With over 10 million people affected, efforts are underway to restore power, but many fear that this could be just another episode in Cuba's ongoing struggle with energy sustainability.
