politics
Cuba Suffers New National Blackout, Sixth in a Year and a Half
Cuba suffered a new national blackout after the total disconnection of its National Electric System, the sixth in just a year and a half, amid a deep energy crisis aggravated by a lack of fuel, failures in thermoelectric plants, and tensions with the United States.
TL;DR
- Cuba's National Electric System (SEN) experienced a total disconnection, the sixth in 18 months.
- The energy crisis is worsened by fuel shortages, thermoelectric plant failures, and US sanctions.
- Restoring the SEN is a slow process, complicated by a lack of diesel and fuel oil for essential generation engines.
- Nine out of 16 thermoelectric units were non-operational due to breakdowns or maintenance, despite using national oil.
- Distributed generation, relying on diesel and fuel oil engines, has been halted since January due to a lack of fuel.
- The crisis requires an estimated $8-10 billion to sanitize the electrical system.
- The blackouts are hindering the economy and have been a trigger for recent protests.