Cuba’s power grid is toast. Since at least Thursday, the Cuban government has been unable to keep the lights, or any other type of electrical need (such as AC) on across the ENTIRE country.

Cuba’s electrical system collapsed Friday, as mounting problems with a lack of oil and dilapidated infrastructure reached a crisis point, paralyzing the economy of the Communist nation.

The Energy and Mining ministry announced the “total disconnection” of the national electricity system at 11:07 a.m., after the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric power plant in the city of Matanzas suddenly shut down. Authorities said they were scrambling to get the facility back online, but it was unclear when that might occur.

The Cuban government announced that literally everything needed to be shut down. Schools, businesses, theatres and more. One would hope that the hospitals have generators and plenty of fuel, yet the fuel that Cuba is dependent upon has been slow to arrive due to hurricanes, trade embargos, and more. Furthermore, the fuel shipments they typically receive from Venezuela have been cut in half due to that country’s own problems.

So who’s to blame for this situation? 

During his address, Marrero was accompanied by Alfredo López, chief of the state-owned utility, UNE, who said the outage stemmed from increased demand from small- and medium-sized companies and residences’ air conditioners, as well as breakdowns in old thermoelectric plants that haven’t been properly maintained and the lack of fuel to operate some facilities.

Isn’t that great! They’ll blame small business for having the audacity to use too much electricity while glossing over the fact that the power plants providing the electricity to the country haven’t been maintained …for decades. 

One fuel storage facility is off-line because a fire destroyed a good chunk of it. As for the bulk of the power plants? Well…

In fact, seven of the eight thermoelectric plants that supply energy to Cuba are broken or under maintenance, according to a statement released this Wednesday by the Cuban Electric Union and the Ministry of Energy and Mines of the island.

The Cuban Electric Union has also reported that 37 power generation plants are out of service due to lack of fuel. These plants are in the areas of the Mariel, Mariel and Santiago de Cuba.

SEVEN power plants offline? WOW. One would think that Cuba would’ve realized that a thriving economy and happy peons is dependent upon several factors, not the least of which is…ELECTRICITY. Thus one would presume money was budgeted to bring those power plants up to snuff…right? WRONG. 

How it started vs how it’s going pic.twitter.com/GnMrjiOZn6

— John Hasson (@SonofHas) October 18, 2024

Yes, that’s correct. Cuba bought into the climate change crap and has been directing money to turn crop land into solar fields. 

On Monday, Cuban authorities reported the installation of solar energy panels, which they hope will increase the energy generation capacity on the island. But the first of the announced projects – which would produce about 1,000 watts of electricity per hour – will only be ready in two years.

And we aren’t talking just one or two, we’re talking about 31 one fields. They made that grand announcement, and then…the lights went out.

What’s mind-boggling to me is that solar panels are in place to generate electricity for the POWER PLANTS to then provide to Cuban citizens, and the government didn’t think to actually FIX the power plants first? Boy howdy, those priorities are sure out of whack.

The US Embassy in Cuba finally took notice of the issue late yesterday afternoon. 

⚠️Important Notice for U.S. Citizens in Cuba
🗓 Date: October 18, 2024⁰📍 Location: Cuba
Today, Cuba experienced a nationwide electrical grid shutdown following the failure of a major power plant. There is no information on when power will be restored. Emergency services are… pic.twitter.com/YlRpO9SAHh

— Embajada de los Estados Unidos en Cuba (@USEmbCuba) October 18, 2024

Our good ole State Department. Late to the party as usual, and people are once again stuck because of their inaction.

Of course, Cuba is blaming everyone else for their problems and inability to keep the lights on. Those sanctions imposed by the U.S. are the culprit. RIIIGHT. 

Don’t get me wrong, even here in the United States, there are power grid issues. California due to wildfires and grid mismanagment, Texas because of mismanagement and a crazy ice storm, and so on. The lesson here is… if any nation doesn’t have a strong power grid at the outset, not one single breath of wind or ray of sunlight will help. 

What happens to Cuba’s solar fields if a Hurricane Milton hits? Ohhhhhh…

What Hurricane Milton did to a Duke Energy solar farm in Florida. https://t.co/3JJuQPHo2d pic.twitter.com/w2QV5WA9l7

— Steve Milloy (@JunkScience) October 13, 2024

It’s highly likely that as this power failure goes on, things will get worse for the citizens of Cuba. 

The Cuban government can blame whomever they want, but this power grid failure is truly due to their decades of neglect. 

Communist Cuba's power grid had collapsed, not because of any hurricane or other disaster, but because of 65 years of Stalinist rule. Even the airport has gone dark👇 https://t.co/HWlyWGC3AN

— Christian 🇺🇲🇮🇱 (@ChristianCamara) October 19, 2024

The Cuban government put the power grid on the back burner. Yet chose to fund 31 solar fields, two of which won’t go online until 2026 or 2027. The government’s neglect of the power grid over the years, has led to this result. 

The Joys Of Communism! 😖
Cuba hit by second blackout after national power grid failure | CNN https://t.co/LnAeZwBANg

— CyberChick (@warriors_mom) October 19, 2024

Cuba is getting a hard lesson in the importance of oil and gas, along with the major importance of keeping the grid in tip top shape. It won’t surprise me one bit if there are protests around the country, and people die before the lights come back on. 

Feature Photo Credit: Blackout power failure with candles via Pixabay, cropped and modified.