Havana Uninterruptible Power Supply Production Plant

What happened to Cuba's power plant?

The situation came to a head on Friday, when Cuba's largest power plant malfunctioned, joining several smaller plants already offline. Foul weather had also stalled the arrival of fuel from tanker ships offshore, starving the island's power plants. The combination prompted the entire grid to collapse.

Why did the Cuban power system collapse?

Photo: Alejandro Ernesto. Last Friday, October 18, the Cuban Electric Power System collapsed. An “unforeseen breakdown” at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, the largest unitary generation block, caused a “total disconnection” that left the entire country in the dark.

Why does Cuba have a bad energy system?

Cuba’s energy system also suffers from years of reliance on domestic, poor-quality heavy crude oil, which is corrosive because it’s high in sulfur. This has accelerated the wear and tear on boilers, turbines, and pipes in Cuba’s power plants, shortening their life spans and causing frequent and costly outages.

What happened to Cuba's power grid?

Friday's grid collapse marked the Caribbean island's fourth nationwide blackout since October. Cuba's oil-fired power plants, already obsolete and struggling to keep the lights on, reached a full crisis last year as oil imports from Venezuela, Russia and Mexico dwindled.