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The inhabitants of the Caribbean island have been enduring daily power outages for weeks that have been increasing in the number of hours. This situation is a consequence of the island’s dependence on fossil fuels and the blockade and economic crisis that plague the nation.
Cuba suffered one of the worst days of blackouts in recent weeks, reaching a supply deficit of 31%. These power outages have become daily in recent times and increasingly for more hours and at peak times of consumption.
The state energy company assured that this lack of capacity to supply energy is due to the fact that up to nine generators of the thermoelectric plants suffer breakdowns and are undergoing maintenance.
The Cuban government has explained that the problems with the electricity deficit are due to breakdowns due to lack of maintenance, spare parts and lack of budget for its replacement. A consequence derived from the age of these complexes, which sometimes exceed the recommended limit.
To understand the dimension of the energy problem in Cuba, we must highlight the data for July, which confirmed that on 29 of the 31 days of the month there was a blackout in Havana at some point. This issue did not affect the capital of the country so regularly before, although it had been occurring for months in some small and intermediate cities.
This situation is affecting practically all the economic sectors of the island nation, which in some cases has not had light for 10 hours a day. In addition, the energy crisis situation seriously affects families, who lose food due to the lack of refrigeration caused by these cuts.
The inhabitants of the cities most affected by these cuts have to organize their lives according to the hours in which they know they will be able to count on electricity. “You have to do everything you can when you have electricity. You have to get ahead, especially when cooking. And if I need to use the washing machine, do it before the cut comes,” Belkis, a resident of the city of Cárdenas (to the west).
In his city for months in which the cuts occur in two different sections of the day, which go from six in the morning to nine, and from one in the afternoon to five. Although the hours of these cuts are not always fixed, something that makes you have to be aware of it throughout the day.
The situation is also affecting small businesses on the island that live especially from services, since these cuts are even preventing them from opening their stores due to the impossibility of working.
Dependence on oil and the blockade are the main causes
Cuba is a country that needs to import practically all the oil it consumes and uses this fuel mainly to generate energy, a position that makes its situation really complicated due to the economic blockade it has suffered for decades by the United States.
In recent years, Cuba has imported almost all of its crude oil to Venezuela, but the reduction in this nation’s production has made the situation increasingly difficult for the island, which has begun to develop plans in which It contemplates betting on an increasing percentage for renewable energies.
In addition, the crisis generated by the Covid-19 pandemic, which mainly affected tourism, one of the main economic engines of the island today, is still being felt in the general increase in the prices of basic products.
The blackouts, together with the aforementioned crisis, have been one of the main reasons for protest during this last year. In the towns that have suffered the most from the cuts, the demonstrations have been common, although they have never reached the strength of the July 2021 marches.
With EFE and local media
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