The hurricane called “Oscar” is expected to hit the island of Cuba in the next few hours, threatening to further affect the population that spent one more night without electricity, from Saturday, October 19 to Sunday, October 20, due to a gigantic blackout.
Accompanied by winds of 139 kilometers per hour (km/h), Oscar is expected to arrive during the day on Sunday to the east of Cuba, where heavy rains are expected, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC). Authorities of the east of the island “We are already working hard to protect the population and economic resources, given the imminence of Hurricane Oscar”stated the Cuban president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, in a message published on Saturday night in the X.
In another message on this social network, the Cuban presidency reported progress in restoring the electrical system. “Sixteen percent of consumers already have electricity and approximately 500 megawatts are being generated. The system will continue to increase its load in the coming hours »she said. As of Saturday night, most Havana neighborhoods were still dark, except for hotels and hospitals equipped with emergency generators and a few rare homes that have this type of equipment.
“Energy emergency”
In Cuba, electricity is produced by eight thermoelectric plants in ruins, sometimes damaged or undergoing maintenance, as well as by several floating plants – which the government rents to Turkish companies – and generators. But the general blackout, which began on Thursday, is due in particular to the cessation of electricity production at the Antonio-Guiteras thermoelectric plant, the largest on the island, located in the province of Matanzas, two hours from Havana. This plant has experienced several major incidents in recent years that have harmed its operations.
Recognize a situation“energy emergency”, The Cuban president explained this Thursday that the country faces difficulties in acquiring the fuel necessary to power its power plants, due to the strengthening of the embargo that Washington has imposed on the island since 1962.
In September 2022, the island had already experienced a widespread blackout following Hurricane Ian, which hit the west of the island. Completely restoring power took several days in the capital and several weeks across the island.
