Cuban citizens anxiously awaited the restoration of electricity service this Sunday, following technical failures that occurred on Friday, amid the arrival of a hurricane in the eastern part of the island. In Havana, protests were recorded over the lack of light and basic services such as water. Neighbors cried out for the normalization of the service, lamenting the loss of food and the precarious conditions in which they found themselves.
Authorities were working hard to restore the national energy system after the collapse caused by a failure at the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Power Plant. The Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O, indicated that the situation would worsen with the arrival of Hurricane Oscar, which would affect the eastern region of Cuba where a significant portion of the island's electricity generation is concentrated.
The country has been plunged into an energy emergency since Thursday, when a blackout affected half of the national territory, leading to the suspension of classes and non-essential activities, as well as an increase in electricity rates. However, on Friday, a total collapse of the national electrical system occurred, worsening the crisis and generating unrest among the population.
Amid these problems, Hurricane Oscar made landfall in Baracoa, striking the eastern region of Cuba. Intense rains and failures in the old thermoelectric power plants have exacerbated the energy situation in the country, which was already facing an economic crisis and resource shortages.
President Miguel Díaz-Canel called for calm and urged the population to maintain composure in light of the lack of basic services, while shelters were being set up and assessments of the damage caused by Hurricane Oscar were being conducted. The lack of electrical energy has affected not only lighting but also the water supply and the ability to prepare food in thousands of Cuban homes, generating desperation and anguish among the population.
