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138

Cuba suffers blackout with millions losing power after national grid fails (www.independent.co.uk)

submitted 3 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

17 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Cuba’s biggest blackout in at least two years left millions without power and prompted the government to announce emergency measures

Millions of Cubans were plunged into total darkness as they faced a country-wide blackout after a power plant failed, causing the nation’s electrical grid to disconnect.

Government officials, who had warned about ongoing blackouts in recent days, implemented emergency measures such as suspending classes, shutting down some state-owned workplaces and canceling non-essential services

Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz said in an address on Thursday evening that the government had been “paralyzing” the economy in recent weeks in an attempt to continue providing electricity to citizens.

For weeks, Cuba has suffered a fuel shortage which has impacted the ability to run the power grid. Parts of the country have had no power for 12 hours a day. When power is turned on, demand increases putting a strain on the weak infrastructure.

That is, in part, due to an economic crisis and weather-related problems which have made imports difficult to obtain.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Can they not trade with PRC now?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

China is pretty far away from Cuba, so even if they can it's not a natural primary trade partner. With the globalization of trade, it could maybe be fine for some things, but not things that you need suddenly.

Also, any ships stopping at Cuba can't go to the US for 180 days, so if a vessel carrying goods from China stops at Cuba it can't also stop at the US, which is a slightly larger economy.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago

I was more thinking in the context of belt and road. Throw some solar and wind on the islands.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (2 children)

Naw, all that is still good to go.

Their real problem is dependence on Venezuela for fuel and since Maduro has fucked up that economy so completely they aren't getting the oil they need. Doesn't stop Cuba from blaming the embargoes though, I guess some people still believe it.

I mean, maybe they can't pay for enough oil because they are broke but I'd think that Venezuela has enough problems they can't help out with a socialist solidarity deal like Chavez used to give them.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago

I went to Cuba last year, it's pretty messed up there. The currency is a mess. Doctors make $35 per month. Cab drivers that carry tourists make more than $20 for a trip to the airport. There's a huge black market for currency there since the government keeps coming up with crazy monetary schemes which obviously don't work.

The government buildings are pristine, nicer than those you'd see in any developed country, but the people live in poverty.

It's a last days of the Soviet Union kind of thing happening there. Their system is broken, the country could collapse any day.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

I guess the years they have been under embargoes and unable to import means its their own fault they didn't spend that time diversifying their electrical grid into solar and wind? When their lack of ability to import impacted their ability to get a hold of those kind of things easily?

The point is they would be a lot farther along with such efforts if they hadn't been prevented from trading with half the world for over half a century.

But sure, because they haven't spun up modern infrastructure when they can't trade with half the world is their fault, and not because they have limited means and places from which to get the material and tools for such infrastructure.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

The Castro's fault? Absolutely.

My solar panels came from China, theirs can too. Cuba doesn't have a single West German engineered power plant, those parts don't come from modern Germany.

Embargoes (and especially the terrorist definition) are a big stumbling block but don't act like corruption and terrible mismanagement aren't the bulk of modern Cuba's problems.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Then why are the sanctions still in place? If the US stopped pirating maybe we would be able to tell bow shitty the government is. But all anyone can see here is a cruel government getting off oppressing smaller nations. It's not even about political blackmail, given how Puerto Rico and Hawaii are treated, only gratuitous violence.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

I disagree with the sanctions. Hell, we trade with worse regimes every day. Lifting the sanctions would help the residents of Cuba immensely. The "sticking point" of the nationalized property back in '59 should be moot. It's not about making property owners whole at this point, it's about helping the people of Cuba. That is non-negotiable for the expats though.