Millions of people across Cuba were without electricity over several days as the island was hit by a fourth nationwide blackout Oct. 20. The Cuban power grid repeatedly collapsed, choking the economy and making daily life a challenge.
This energy crisis, the worst in the nation’s history, has been brought on by a trade, economic and financial war waged by the U.S. rulers for over six decades, aimed at crushing the Cuban people and overturning the socialist revolution they made.
After weeks of long blackouts, the total disconnection of the national electricity grid was triggered by the sudden shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric power plant in the city of Matanzas, east of the capital, Havana. Hurricane-force winds had prevented an oil tanker from docking and unloading for several days the previous week.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said Oct. 18 that the government is “giving absolute priority to solving the energy emergency” and “would not rest until [power] is reestablished.”
He pointed out that the “surging economic war and financial and energy persecution by the United States” makes it difficult for Cuba to import oil and industry supplies.
Nonessential businesses were closed, along with schools, most government offices and entertainment centers. Only “indispensable workers” were asked to go to their jobs. Hospitals were kept open.
Cuba has long been heavily dependent on oil imports from Venezuela. The Venezuelan government, also hit by Washington’s sanctions, halved its low-priced exports to Cuba this year. This forced the Cuban government to seek more costly oil on the world market, chiefly from Mexico and Russia.
A shortage of foreign currency has hindered Cuba from getting sufficient supplies. Additional damaging financial sanctions were imposed by the Donald Trump administration and maintained by President Joseph Biden, restricting access to financing from foreign banks and the collection of payments for services provided by Cuba to other countries.
For a majority of people across the island, no power means no running water or functioning fans. Millions are seeing their food spoil without refrigeration. Fuel shortages and sometimes a lack of essential foodstuffs have long been worse outside of Havana, but the capital has now been hit too.
People with sufficient funds run small generators on scarce and increasingly expensive fuel. But portable power generators in Havana currently cost $1,500.
By the evening of Oct. 21 authorities said the Matanzas power plant was now working again and power has been restored to over 80% of Havana residents and to some provinces outside the capital.
The course of the U.S. rulers is to continue tightening their squeeze against Cuba with the aim of intensifying hardship, spreading demoralization and provoking opposition toward the Cuban government, like the street protests that occurred there in 2021.
For defenders of the Cuban Revolution in the U.S., getting out the truth about Washington’s unrelenting economic aggression and organizing public opposition to the U.S. rulers’ attacks remains paramount (see Editorial).