Cuba's Biggest Power Outage This Monday Will Shut Off Over 61% of the Island Simultaneously
Cuba will face the largest simultaneous power outage of the year this Monday, with blackouts leaving up to 61.5% of the country without service at the same time, amid an energy crisis aggravated by fuel shortages and the collapse of the generation system.
TL;DR
- Cuba will face its largest simultaneous power outage of the year on Monday, potentially affecting 61.5% of the country.
- The nation is in a deep energy crisis, exacerbated by a lack of fuel and the collapse of its generation system.
- The U.S. oil embargo is cited as a major factor contributing to record blackouts and economic paralysis.
- A historical record of simultaneous outages occurred on January 31, affecting 63% of the country.
- Seven of sixteen thermoelectric production units are currently offline due to breakdowns or maintenance.
- Distributed generation, which accounts for another 40% of the energy mix, has been completely halted for four weeks due to the oil embargo.
- Experts suggest chronic underfunding of the state-run electrical system requires billions in investment.
- The Cuban government blames U.S. sanctions for the 'energy asphyxiation'.
- Prolonged blackouts have negatively impacted the economy and triggered major protests.