A nationwide blackout that occurred in Cuba on Friday has come to an end, at least for the time being. Following a critical substation failure in the capital city of Havana, authorities were able to restore power to the entire country by Monday. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel expressed gratitude to the public for their understanding during the situation and also acknowledged the efforts of the repair teams who worked around the clock to resolve the issue.
Lázaro Guerra Hernández, the general director of the electricity department at the Ministry of Energy and Mines, acknowledged that despite the recent progress, the local power grid still faces ongoing challenges. “We are still confronted with a nationwide deficit, which existed even before the total blackout. The system is now, however, functioning stably” he said.
Cuba’s energy crisis has been escalating over the past few months, with the root problem being the longstanding US trade embargo. The country’s energy sector has been in a state of disrepair for years and the lack of fuel has further exacerbated the issue. In response, the government in Havana has developed a protocol to address nationwide power outages more quickly in the future. This includes the construction of various small “power islands” that will stabilize and connect local power plants.
The government is also working to maintain and modernize the energy infrastructure, with plans for investments in renewable energy sources. Over the next few years, more than 90 solar parks are expected to be built across the country.