Fidel Castro once called Cuba’s power plants “prehistoric.” But the country still relies on them, contributing to the longest blackout since the collapse of its former patron, the Soviet Union.
By David C. Adams, New York Times
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 strapped Communist government could barely afford.
On Friday morning their dire predictions came true, as the entire island plunged into the most prolonged blackout it has suffered in the three decades since its former benefactor and steady fuel supplier, the Soviet Union, collapsed.
Cuban energy officials managed to get power back up briefly to some parts of the island on Friday night. But early Saturday the state’s utility company reported another “total disconnection” of the system, the second in less than 24 hours.
Government officials tried to reassure the public that power would be broadly restored over the weekend but acknowledged they could not be sure.
Related news:
Energy collapse continues for fourth day in Cuba
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