From our Bureau of Socialist Power Plant Maintenance with some assistance from our Bureau of Highly Creative Crisis Cartography
Wow. Take a look at the map above. Even better, go HERE for an interactive version that reveals the location and duration of each blackout. Verbal reports simply don’t convey the shocking reality of Cuba’s power crisis as vividly as this map does.
And keep in mind that this is only today’s map, and that each of those blue tags represents a PLANNED blackout rather than accidental ones, and this is now a daily routine for Cubans. Since the power crisis keeps worsening and will probably continue to worsen, what will the map look like next week? Next month? A year from now? Lord have mercy.
Loosely translated from CiberCuba
This Wednesday, September 18, 2024, power outages continue to significantly impact several provinces in Cuba, causing widespread frustration among the population and highlighting the country’s ongoing energy crisis. According to data from the interactive blackout map, 445 power outages have been reported nationwide, with some municipalities experiencing long-lasting interruptions.
The situation is particularly critical in Cienfuegos, where the average duration of outages is 6 hours. The provincial capital is the most affected, with 35 reports and an average of 7 hours without electricity. Municipalities like Aguada de Pasajeros and Palmira are also experiencing prolonged outages, with some exceeding 7 hours.
Camagüey tops the list of reported outages, with a total of 68. The most affected municipalities include Camagüey, Guáimaro, and Jimaguayú, where outages have lasted up to 14 hours. In Guáimaro, the longest blackout reached 9.6 hours, while in Jimaguayú, it stretched to 14 hours, one of the longest in the country.
Pinar del Río has also reported significant outages, with an average duration of 4 hours. In Consolación del Sur, the average blackout lasted 5.6 hours, while in other municipalities like Viñales and Guane, outages ranged from 3 to 5 hours.
In Havana, although the total number of reports is lower compared to other provinces, power outages continue to affect residents in areas such as Cerro, which reported 17 interruptions with an average duration of 4.1 hours. La Lisa is another affected area, where an outage lasted more than 8 hours.
Provinces like Holguín and Granma are also facing recurrent outages. In Holguín, the provincial capital has experienced outages averaging 2.5 hours, while in Manzanillo, Granma Province, reports indicate outages lasting up to 5.7 hours.
The interactive blackout map, based on reports from social media and processed using artificial intelligence, reveals the extent of the problem in each municipality, giving residents a clear view of the situation. These prolonged power cuts continue to disrupt the daily lives of thousands of Cubans amid an energy crisis that shows no signs of improvement.
Power outages in Cuba remain a growing concern, with provinces like Cienfuegos, Camagüey, Pinar del Río, and Havana suffering significant interruptions to the electrical service. The duration of some blackouts, exceeding 10 hours in some cases, exacerbates the hardships for residents in an already challenging economic and social context.