Blackout in Cuba — 10 million people were left without electricity

A blackout occurred in Cuba on October 18. The Antonio Guiteras power plant in Matanzas — one of the main elements of the countryʼs power supply system — failed.

Reuters and the local newspaper Diario de Cuba write about it.

The shutdown of the station occurred around 11:00 a.m. local time (6:00 p.m. Kyiv time), the Ministry of Energy and Mining of Cuba reported. Power engineers are working to restore it, but they say they donʼt know how long the repairs will take.

Almost 10 million people were left without electricity. Diario de Cuba notes that this has only exacerbated the countryʼs energy crisis, with Cuba experiencing continuous power outages for several hours every day for the past two weeks. And on October 11, there was no light for 24 hours.

The Cuban government temporarily closed all educational institutions, canceled non-essential entertainment and cultural events, and closed clubs. On Friday, only key employees of state enterprises in the food industry and health care were told to go to work.

The blackout in Cuba came hours after Prime Minister Manuel Marrero announced that the energy situation had improved.

• Cuba blames US sanctions for the energy crisis, which makes it difficult to supply the country with the necessary fuel. Deterioration of the operation of power plants was also caused by the devastating hurricane "Milton", which swept through the region last week.

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