A large part of Cuba, including the capital Havana, has been without electricity since Friday after the largest power grid failure in years. Specialists from the relevant departments are working non-stop, trying to restore the supply of electricity, but, according to the Cuban Ministry of Energy and Mines, the process “is going with difficulties.”

By Saturday evening, electricity was provided in most areas of Havana, but only for a few hours. Closer to 10 p.m., the city was plunged into darkness again.

By Saturday evening, electricity was provided in most areas of Havana, but only for a few hours. Closer to 10 p.m., the city was plunged into darkness again.

Power outages in Cuba have become commonplace over the past few weeks. Some areas of the capital remained de-energized for several hours almost every day. Therefore, at first, Friday’s power outage, or “apagon”, as the locals say, did not become something unusual. However, after a while it became clear that this time the situation was more serious.

At about noon, an official announcement from the Ministry of Energy and Mines of Cuba announced a complete shutdown of the national power grid. The reason for this was an accident that occurred at one of the largest thermal power plants in the country. At the same time, the day before, Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz said that the problems in the country’s energy sector were caused not only by the deterioration of the network, but also by a shortage of fuel, which is a direct consequence of the economic blockade by the United States.

The blackout paralyzed economic activity in Havana, but Cubans were not discouraged in the dark

The blackout almost completely paralyzed economic activity in Havana. The light remained at critical infrastructure facilities and in hospitals. Only those few shops and cafes that have their own diesel generators continued to work. The rest of the establishments were forced to close. Problems with electricity provoked communication interruptions. Mobile Internet continued to work only in certain areas of the capital. Huge queues immediately arose at gas stations. At the same time, they appeared even at more expensive, “dollar” stations, where fuel costs three times more than at those where you can pay in the national currency (peso). The RG correspondent spent about an hour on Friday evening to refuel his car. And at the “pesov” gas stations, local residents could spend more than three or four hours.

At the same time, ordinary Cubans were not discouraged. Many residents of the capital left their homes in the afternoon, set up tables in the courtyard and began to play dominoes until late in the evening. “Why worry about something you can’t influence? You can take advantage of the situation to relax with neighbors and spend time in the fresh air,” Havana resident Jose commented on the situation to the RG correspondent.

But the power outage had practically no impact on the tourism industry. Havana and Varadero airports continued to operate normally, receiving and departing flights without delay. Most hotels in the capital and in the main resort are equipped with their own generators. Many of the vacationers learned about the problems with electricity only from the news. Tourists with whom the RG correspondent managed to talk said that the situation in Varadero is generally stable. “There were periodic power outages in our hotel, but they were short-term and almost not felt,” said Russian Evgenia. She added that her acquaintances who lived in another hotel did not have any problems with electricity at all.