HAVANA (AP) — Swaths of Cuba remained without power on Thursday nearly a day after a huge blackout hit the western part of the island in the latest outage blamed on a fragile electric grid and a lack of fuel.
Crews worked overnight to repair a broken boiler at one of Cuba’s largest thermoelectric plants, but officials have warned that it could take three to four days for power to be fully restored.
State media reported that nearly 660,000 customers in Havana, or 77%, had power, as well as 43 hospitals and 10 water supply stations. However, officials warned of low power generation and said some circuits that crews had reconnected were kicked offline again.
Millions still remained without power, including Miguel Leyva, 65, who lives with his mother and brother, both of whom are ill.
“I have no words to describe what I’m going through: the heat, the mosquitoes and no electricity. The food could spoil,” he said. "I'm aware of all the problems that exist, but listen, it’s been more than 24 hours now.”
Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines wrote on X that the electrical system is operating “in a limited capacity, prioritizing basic services, primarily health and water supply.”
State media reported that two power plants are offline because of a lack of petroleum.
Government officials said Wednesday afternoon that crews have located the crack in the boiler drum that led to the outage. They said it will take 12 hours to cool that area so crews can enter the furnace and start repairing it. Work already is underway to fix a pipe that also is damaged, officials added.
Sonia Vázquez, 61, said the blackout didn't stop her from selling coffee to passersby daily, saying she prepared it with gas at 5 a.m. under a rechargeable lamp.
“I didn't sleep last night. Too many mosquitoes,” said Vázquez, who lives with her grandson.
Source: WPLG
