Did Cuba re-connect its electricity grid?

Cuba said it had reconnected its national electrical grid on Thursday, though generation remained well below demand one day after a plant failure knocked out power to millions across the island.

What happened to Cuba's energy grid?

Link Copied! People gather in a plaza as Cuba is hit by an island-wide blackout, in Havana, Cuba, October 18, 2024. Cuba’s energy grid has collapsed, leaving millions without power, the latest in a series of failures on an island struggling from creaking infrastructure, natural disasters and economic turmoil.

What happened to Cuba's power plant?

The situation came to a head on Friday, when Cuba's largest power plant malfunctioned, joining several smaller plants already offline. Foul weather had also stalled the arrival of fuel from tanker ships offshore, starving the island's power plants. The combination prompted the entire grid to collapse.

How does Cuba get its power?

Officials said the state-owned power company UNE was using distributed generation to provide power to some areas of the island and that a gas-fired thermoelectric plant was starting operations. Cuba gets its power from huge thermoelectric plants like Antonio Guiteras and some smaller ones, which require crude oil to operate.

Does Cuba still have power after Hurricane Ian?

Yes. Following the passage of Hurricane Ian in September 2022, Cuba's grid collapsed, leaving the entire country without power for several days. Authorities eventually re-established service, but not before protests broke out in various cities across the island, including Havana.

Is Cuba's power failure the worst in years?

While some homes have spent up to eight hours a day this year without electricity as the grid has grown more unstable, the current power failure is considered Cuba’s worst in years. Officials said that 1.64 gigawatts went offline during peak hours, about half the total demand at the time.