Cuba faced widespread power outages early Wednesday (04DEC) morning after a major failure at the Antonio Guiteras power plant amidst ongoing challenges related to fuel shortages and aging infrastructure.
Reports indicate the outage affected nearly all 10 million inhabitants of the island, leaving the capital city of Havana largely in the dark.
According to the country's energy and mines ministry, the shutdown of the Guiteras plant occurred around 2 a.m. local time, triggering the widespread grid failure.
CNN reports that the system is gradually being restored.
This incident is part of a troubling pattern of electrical outages that have plagued Cuba, fueled by economic difficulties and the challenges posed by natural disasters.
Cuba’s reliance on aging oil-fired power plants has been exacerbated by dwindling oil imports from Venezuela, Russia, and Mexico, leading to numerous nationwide blackouts over the past two months.
Witnesses in Havana noted that the skyline was mostly dark, with only a few large hotels and government buildings illuminated, CBC reports.
This grid collapse marks yet another instance of systemic failure for Cuba's electricity infrastructure, which faced additional pressures from Hurricane Oscar in October and Hurricane Rafael in November, contributing to the ongoing crisis.
