CUBA: A Light at the End of the Tunnel

HAVANA, Jun 8 (IPS) – The government announcement that electricity supplies in Cuba now exceed demand during the hours of peak consumption was received with a collective sigh of relief by Cubans, who have not forgotten the frequent and lengthy blackouts that occurred, especially during the summertime, two or three years ago.

“I don’t even want to think of vacations like the ones we had in 2004, when the power outages began again,” said Caridad Hernandez, who has two school-age children. She was talking about the severe energy crisis triggered by breakdowns in the Guiteras thermoelectric plant in the western part of the country, the main power plant.


Blackouts have a heavy impact on families. “If there is no power, we don’t have water either, because the pumps are electric. And when the outages are lengthy, there is no gas here either. Add to all of that the hot temperatures of July and August,” said Hernandez.

Fans are a necessity, not a luxury item, during Cuba’s hot summer months, when power outages also make preserving food a major challenge.

IPS