Antiguan and Barbudan students studying in the storm-affected areas in Cuba have been confirmed safe

“Power Restored to Most of Havana After Nationwide Blackouts in Cuba” by Eldean Eudelle

After three days of widespread blackouts triggered by the collapse of Cuba’s electrical grid, power was restored to the majority of Havana on Monday. This development follows the decision by Cuban authorities to abandon efforts to restore the entire grid and instead focus on reconnecting individual regions across the country. However, many outside the capital remained without electricity Monday afternoon, as the grid failure began around 4:00 p.m. on Friday.

The state-run Electric Union reported generating only 200 megawatts of electricity, enough to service parts of six provinces, while the country requires a total of 3,000 megawatts to function fully. The eastern region of the island, particularly affected by the blackout, faced additional challenges with Tropical Storm Oscar making landfall on Sunday as a Category 1 hurricane near Baracoa in Guantánamo province.

Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel announced on Monday night that at least six fatalities occurred in Imías and San Antonio del Sur due to floodwaters from the storm. He noted that some areas remained inaccessible, complicating rescue operations by the military and the Interior Ministry.

With power outages beginning on Friday, residents in rural areas may not have received adequate warnings about the impending hurricane. The initial blackout was sparked by the failure of the Antonio Guiteras power plant in Matanzas province. Efforts over the weekend to reconnect the island’s major power stations continued to falter.

By Monday afternoon, the Electric Union reported that 90% of customers in Havana had regained power. The utility successfully restarted one unit at the Mariel power plant, linking it to another plant that utilizes natural gas, along with a shipboard power plant and generators in Mariel. Reports from the Cuban news outlet Cubadebate indicated that a second unit at the Mariel facility was also operational, and the Antonio Guiteras power plant was back online, albeit at limited capacity.

Fortunately, Antiguan and Barbudan students studying in the storm-affected areas have been confirmed safe amidst these developments.

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