MADRID, Spain.- Cuba continues to be mired in a serious energy crisis and on Wednesday, September 18, prolonged blackouts were reported affecting several provinces of the country and generating growing unrest among the population. According to the interactive map of blackouts CiberCuba, 445 power outages have been recorded nationwide, with some municipalities particularly affected by prolonged interruptions.
Camagüey leads the list with the highest number of reports, totaling 68 outages. The most affected municipalities are Camagüey, Guáimaro and Jimaguayú. These regions are experiencing some of the longest blackouts in the country, lasting up to 14 hours. Guáimaro experienced a 9.6-hour blackout, while Jimaguayú suffered one of 14 hours, ranking among the longest in all of Cuba.
In the province of Cienfuegos, the situation is particularly worrying. The blackouts last an average of six hours, with the main city suffering 35 reports and an average of seven hours without electricity. In Aguada de Pasajeros and Palmira, the interruptions can exceed seven hours.
Pinar del Río is also facing significant power outages. The average duration of blackouts in this province is four hours. In Consolación del Sur, the average duration of outages is 5.6 hours, while in Viñales and Guane, outages range from three to five hours.
Havana, although reporting fewer outages compared to other provinces, continues to deal with blackouts affecting municipalities such as Cerro, with 17 interruptions and an average duration of 4.1 hours. In La Lisa, a blackout lasted more than eight hours, showing that the capital is not immune to the crisis.
Eastern provinces such as Holguín and Granma also report frequent blackouts. In the capital of Holguín, the average duration of outages is 2.5 hours. Manzanillo, in Granma province, has recorded interruptions of up to 5.7 hours.
The interactive blackout map, created from reports collected from social media and analysed using artificial intelligence, allows us to visualise the scope and severity of this crisis in each municipality.
In May of this year, the Cuban ruler, Miguel Diaz-Canelsaid the country would experience “prolonged” power outages until June due to maintenance work on the energy system. This measure, according to the authorities, was aimed at reducing interruptions during the months of July and August, when consumption is highest.
However, after the first half of September, the situation remains the same or worse.
This month, Vicente de la O Levy, Minister of Energy and Mines, tried to justify the prolonged blackouts suffered by Cubans by referring to the maintenance of obsolete thermoelectric plantsand which, according to his words, were carried out with the resources available in the country.
