After Second Power Outage, 10 Million Cubans Endure Saturday Afternoon Blackout (msn.com) 28
The Miami Herald reports:
Cuba's electrical grid shut down again early Saturday, leaving the island without electricity after authorities tried but failed to restore power following an earlier nationwide blackout on Friday. The island's Electric Union reported a second "total outage" at 6:15 a.m., just hours after officials reported they had restored power in a few "microsystems" all over the island... The country has been going through its worst economic crisis since the fall of the Soviet Union, and the government lacks money to buy oil in the international market to meet domestic demand.
Cubans irked by the daily blackouts defied the country's Draconian laws punishing criticism of the government and left several comments in official news outlets calling for government officials to resign. The second outage will likely exacerbate public frustration as food begins to spoil because of the lack of refrigeration.
Two hours ago, Reuters reported that Cuba's government "said on Saturday it had made some progress in gradually re-establishing electrical service across the island, including to hospitals and parts of the capital Havana..."
"Most of Cuba's 10 million people, however, remained without electricity on Saturday afternoon." Traffic lights were dark at intersections throughout Havana, and most commerce was halted...
Cuban officials have said even if the immediate grid collapse is resolved, the electricity crisis will continue. Cuba produces little of its own crude oil, and fuel deliveries to the island have dropped significantly this year, as Venezuela, Russia and Mexico, once important suppliers, have reduced their exports to Cuba.
Mexico experienced a historic drop in production, according to the New York Times, while Venezuela is selling its oil to foreign companies to ease its own economic crisis: The experts had warned for years: Cuba's power grid was on the verge of collapse, relying on plants nearly a half-century old and importing fuel that the cash strapped Communist government could barely afford... Cuban economists and foreign analysts blamed the crisis on several factors: the government's failure to tackle the island's aging infrastructure; the decline in fuel supplies from Venezuela, Mexico and Russia; and a lack of capital investment in badly needed renewable systems, such as wind and solar.
Jorge Piñon, a Cuban-born energy expert at the University of Texas at Austin, highlighted that Cuba's electricity grid relies on eight very large power plants that are close to 50 years old. "They have not received any operational maintenance much less capital maintenance in the last 12 to 15 years," he said, adding that they have a lifetime of only 25-30 years. "So, number one, it's a structural problem, they are breaking down all the time and that has a domino effect," he said. Compounding the problems, Cuba burns crude oil as a fuel for its plants. Experts said Cuba's own crude oil production is very heavy in sulfur and metals that can impair the thermoelectric combustion process. "So they have to be constantly repairing them, and they're repairing them with Band-Aids," said Mr. Piñon...
"If they can't turn these plants back on there is a concern that this could turn into another mass exodus," said Ricardo Herrero, the director of the Cuba Study Group in Washington. "They are really short on options," he added.
Cubans irked by the daily blackouts defied the country's Draconian laws punishing criticism of the government and left several comments in official news outlets calling for government officials to resign. The second outage will likely exacerbate public frustration as food begins to spoil because of the lack of refrigeration.
Two hours ago, Reuters reported that Cuba's government "said on Saturday it had made some progress in gradually re-establishing electrical service across the island, including to hospitals and parts of the capital Havana..."
"Most of Cuba's 10 million people, however, remained without electricity on Saturday afternoon." Traffic lights were dark at intersections throughout Havana, and most commerce was halted...
Cuban officials have said even if the immediate grid collapse is resolved, the electricity crisis will continue. Cuba produces little of its own crude oil, and fuel deliveries to the island have dropped significantly this year, as Venezuela, Russia and Mexico, once important suppliers, have reduced their exports to Cuba.
Mexico experienced a historic drop in production, according to the New York Times, while Venezuela is selling its oil to foreign companies to ease its own economic crisis: The experts had warned for years: Cuba's power grid was on the verge of collapse, relying on plants nearly a half-century old and importing fuel that the cash strapped Communist government could barely afford... Cuban economists and foreign analysts blamed the crisis on several factors: the government's failure to tackle the island's aging infrastructure; the decline in fuel supplies from Venezuela, Mexico and Russia; and a lack of capital investment in badly needed renewable systems, such as wind and solar.
Jorge Piñon, a Cuban-born energy expert at the University of Texas at Austin, highlighted that Cuba's electricity grid relies on eight very large power plants that are close to 50 years old. "They have not received any operational maintenance much less capital maintenance in the last 12 to 15 years," he said, adding that they have a lifetime of only 25-30 years. "So, number one, it's a structural problem, they are breaking down all the time and that has a domino effect," he said. Compounding the problems, Cuba burns crude oil as a fuel for its plants. Experts said Cuba's own crude oil production is very heavy in sulfur and metals that can impair the thermoelectric combustion process. "So they have to be constantly repairing them, and they're repairing them with Band-Aids," said Mr. Piñon...
"If they can't turn these plants back on there is a concern that this could turn into another mass exodus," said Ricardo Herrero, the director of the Cuba Study Group in Washington. "They are really short on options," he added.
Solution is obviously soalr and wind. (Score:2)
They should get solar panels from China!
Re: (Score:1)
Texans, are you a third world country run by a communist party in a dictatorial setting, or are you better than that? Let us know Nov 5th when you vote.
Re: (Score:2)
>> Texas has had more state wide power outages than Cuba
Utter bullshit.
Re: (Score:2)
Time for it to become an US state? (Score:2)
In a few more years most of the formerly Cuban population will be living in the United states, might as well join the US entirely then.
Re: (Score:3)
North Korea has a peasant population less exposed to modern mass media and less connected to foreign family. It will be a long long time before Cuba has a similarly indoctrinated population. Also Russia is no super power. Pooh keeps the lights on in North Korea, Putler can't manage that for Cuba.
Re: (Score:2)
Also Russia is no super power.
You can say that again. They're using artillery produced in the 40s [newsweek.com] in their two week operation.
Re: (Score:2)
Only if they bring their delicious recipes.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Since when does the US get a choice of who immigrates? Hundreds of thousands were caught trying to come in last year, including the ones not caught it won't be too long before most of them are in the US regardless.
Miami Herald? (Score:2, Troll)
Re: (Score:2)
There're no similarities between Cuba/United States and Ukraine/Russia.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
So... why don't they build their own damn cars? I mean, it's been since the 70's that communism was the only party permitted to function in Cuba, ridding them of that nasty capitalism that would stand in the way of progress (aka moving "forward"). They ought to be self sufficient by now. Or, maybe they could depend on the other successful communist countries of the world for t
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I don't necessarily agree with this post, but for Taco's sake let's PLEASE PLEASE do away with the "Troll" mod!
Embargo (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Maybe the other communist countries could come to Cuba's rescue. The Soviet Union, or East Germany? Ok, I'm obviously joking there. Surely, North Korea will swoop in and affect the necessary repairs to get their comrades back up and running, though.
Re: (Score:2)
Cuba wants to join BRICS. It's not clear if BRICS will let them in, though.
But ... (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
All that without power! Amazing country.
Re: (Score:2)
No, Cuba, like other countries but even more so, has worse infant mortality. Here are some common ways to fudge the stats:
* The US tries to save premature births at a younger age than almost every other country, and their lower survival rate biases the results.
* Many countries do not count a birth as official until the baby has survived for a day or a week.
Another example of apples and oranges is murder rates. The UK, for instance, used to, and probably still does, only count a homicide as murder after it
importing fuel (Score:2)
Cuba "burns crude oil as a fuel" to generate electricity, and it all has to be imported. Could they have built solar farms and wind? Sure. Does their failure to do that have anything to do with the US embargo? No.