Millions of Cubans Had Another Power Outage Wednesday (cnn.com) 104
Wednesday Cuba's energy grid collapsed, "leaving millions without power," CNN reported, calling it "the latest in a series of failures on an island struggling from creaking infrastructure, natural disasters and economic turmoil."
Today Reuters reports: Cuba said it had reconnected its national electrical grid on Thursday, though generation remained well below demand one day after a plant failure knocked out power to millions across the island... Around half of Cuba's power generation facilities are offline for maintenance or broken down. All are decades old and producing well under capacity.
As a result, a majority of Cuba's residents suffer hours-long, rolling blackouts on a daily basis even when the grid is functional. Cuba's electrical grid has been on the brink of collapse for years, as fuel shortages, a string of natural disasters and an economic crisis have left the island's government unable to maintain the system's decrepit infrastructure. Dwindling oil imports from Venezuela, Russia and Mexico tipped the system into full crisis this year, leading to several nationwide blackouts that have sparked unrest and increasing anger among the population. The blackouts, together with food, medicine and water shortages, have vastly complicated life on the island and driven a record-breaking exodus of its residents since 2020.
Authorities informed Cuba's citizens that scheduled power outages will now resume, reports ABC News. "Cuban authorities said they will continue their current practice of implementing daily, five-hour power outages by block or zone as they have been doing for the past few months."
Today Reuters reports: Cuba said it had reconnected its national electrical grid on Thursday, though generation remained well below demand one day after a plant failure knocked out power to millions across the island... Around half of Cuba's power generation facilities are offline for maintenance or broken down. All are decades old and producing well under capacity.
As a result, a majority of Cuba's residents suffer hours-long, rolling blackouts on a daily basis even when the grid is functional. Cuba's electrical grid has been on the brink of collapse for years, as fuel shortages, a string of natural disasters and an economic crisis have left the island's government unable to maintain the system's decrepit infrastructure. Dwindling oil imports from Venezuela, Russia and Mexico tipped the system into full crisis this year, leading to several nationwide blackouts that have sparked unrest and increasing anger among the population. The blackouts, together with food, medicine and water shortages, have vastly complicated life on the island and driven a record-breaking exodus of its residents since 2020.
Authorities informed Cuba's citizens that scheduled power outages will now resume, reports ABC News. "Cuban authorities said they will continue their current practice of implementing daily, five-hour power outages by block or zone as they have been doing for the past few months."
Re: (Score:3)
Wouldn't it be easier to simply charge enough for electricity that you have the funds needed for maintenance and new equipment?
Re: (Score:2)
Dear ignorant asshole,
They don't claim to be communist. They say "socialist", and then there's that capitalists made Cuba a one-crop economy, and they can't afford to stop that.
Re: (Score:3)
But besides that, taking away services that have been universally available (when available at anybody) and saying, "we'll all eventually have more if we take it away from poor people for now" (which is what placing a price on it also accomplishes) is incredibly difficult pill to swallow politically. That's why people
Re: (Score:2)
STFU. The US is supposed to be a capitalist economy, so if you can't afford health care, just go die under a bridge.
Re: (Score:3)
https://en.cibercuba.com/notic... [cibercuba.com]
Re: (Score:2)
from your own link, no money was provided: In 2022, the regime quietly admitted that it had not met the conditions to access the loan
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Wouldn't it be easier to simply charge enough for electricity that you have the funds needed for maintenance and new equipment?
Or they could just eat cake! Or brioche in the original French that Marie Antoinette would have said it in, if she had actually said it. I feel a responsibility having used the quote to also point out that it was actually a highly successful slander used to sway public attention. It was especially problematic since various accounts say that she was actually very concerned about the plight of the poor. I mean, she was a privileged royal still and did live an extravagant lifestyle, but most of the hate agains
Re: Trump's fault (Score:2)
The customers are broke, the government is broke, and the infrastructure has been neglected/abused for decades.
What does Cuba produce to fuel their economy? Cigars? Tourism? Doctors?
Cuba used to trade doctors for oil with countries like Venezuela, now with Venezuela in decline that source of fuel is not available.
Cuba's electrical grid has been on the brink of collapse for years, as fuel shortages, a string of natural disasters and an economic crisis have left the island's government unable to maintain the system's decrepit infrastructure. Dwindling oil imports from Venezuela, Russia and Mexico tipped the system into full crisis this year, leading to several nationwide blackouts that have sparked unrest and increasing anger among the population. The blackouts, together with food, medicine and water shortages, have vastly complicated life on the island and driven a record-breaking exodus of its residents since 2020.
Cuba can buy ANYTHING it needs on the open market, just not from the U.S. - the issue is they are broke, almost third-world broke, but trying to live a first-world lifestyle.
Re: (Score:2)
Or maybe they're having trouble buying things they need, because of the US embargo?
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
As for what effect that will have on the Cuban economy... who knows. Cigars and tourism again, maybe. Maybe not.
Re: (Score:2)
Not really, the Cubans in Florida hate the current Cuban government. It is they that are preventing normalizing relations.
Re: (Score:1)
I think what they're saying is that Republicans don't need to pander to them to win Florida elections, so they can normalize relations despite the threat of losing that vote.
Re: (Score:2)
That's some pretty weak satire. Cuba's problem is that they're a tiny island without much in the way of their own resources and they're not a big enough player in the global economy to trade for all of the things that they need. You can blame it all you want on that they've chosen the wrong kind of *ism for their economic structure, but China proves that freedom is not necessarily an essential component of being an economic powerhouse.
It all comes down to a willingness to play ball with the rest of the ca
Re: (Score:2)
Well, it's pretty much par for the course for island economies. They're usually too small to build their own industrial base. Shipping is to complex and expensive for industry to be cost efficient either. Most of them get by either by taking advantage of being good growing spots for certain produce, or by tourism. Even Hawaii suffers from this and it is a US state. And Cuba and Hawaii have big islands relatively speaking.
Of course, New Zealand does pretty well for itself and it has half the population, but
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:3)
Distinctly absent from the above arguments is that fact that since the revolution in 1959, Cuba has been subject to extreme, brutal sanctions & embargos by the USA. Show me any economic system that can thrive under those conditions.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Distinctly absent from the above arguments
Not really. I was including that when I said that details of its history have crippled it. Many other posters have gone into great detail on that point though, so I did not bother elaborating.
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, but Britain is not an isolated set of islands really. There has always been relatively easy transport between Britain and mainland Europe. It's also twice the size of Cuba. As I said though the details of the history of Cuba probably cripple it in many ways.
Re: Trump's fault (Score:2)
Cuba lost a huge benefactor when the Soviet Union collapsed, and is now losing support of neighbors like Venezuela that used to trade oil for Cuban doctors.
You can try and blame US policy towards Cuba, but Cuba has no products to sell to generate the income to fund proper infrastructure investments.
Re: Trump's fault (Score:2)
Odd that you want to blame the prior administration for problems manifesting themselves at the end of the current administration...
Curious, what did the current administration do to help Cuba? Obama (as I recalled) tried to normalize relations with Cuba, are you arguing Trump rolled-back Obama's advances? I don't remember that...
Re: (Score:2)
--
Cuban Democracy Act (1992)
Helms-Burton Act (1996):
Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (Libertad) Act Enforcement:
Selective Sanctions Reintroduction:
Cuba, Cuba, who's got the Cuba? (Score:2)
Looks like censor trolls with mod points again? Or is it? An 8-digit UID? You must be new around here or perhaps some sort of impersonator?
On the actual history of Cuba's relations with America, someone should write a funny summary. Or perhaps a funnier book? If the comment was supposed to be a sincere dig at the orange puppet, then why? He couldn't possibly care less about Cuba.
Could there be an opportunity? (Score:2, Interesting)
Such a beautiful island. The people are friendly and long-suffering, it seems like something helpful could be done for them.
I guess one could suppose that the economy would eventually become so bad that the populace would rise up and depose the single-party authoritarian regime. Unfortunately that hasn't yet worked in Venezuela, there's just a massive outflow of migration. I know if I were to live there I wouldn't want to risk my life fighting armed troops.
Re: Could there be an opportunity? (Score:4, Informative)
The Chinese...[are] very reasonable and realistic with their deals...
No they aren't. They structure their deals in ways that ensure their victims default, giving China increasing control over the victim countries. They prey on weakness, much like payday loan companies.
Re: (Score:2)
"The Chinese aren't into forcing regime change like you (and the USA) seem to be, and very reasonable and realistic with their deals, even writing them off at times when things don't work out."
See Tibet and Xinjiang (home province to the Uyghurs), and do not forget Taiwan. The CCP is always up another territory out of which they can leach the lifeblood. Their predatory loans are also designed to subjugate the victims of those loans.
Re: (Score:2)
It's not the US's job to make Cuba a success.
Re: (Score:2)
Well, I presume they lacked a wealthy regional country willing to help bolster their burgeoning economy in order to strengthen the region.
What if? the United States had used their great wealth and geopolitical power helped transform Caribbean and Central and South American nations into self-sufficient partners instead of meddling in petty political elections for the last ciento cincuenta años?
Refugees don't flee in large numbers from successful economies. Hmm. No flood of immigrants from failed Nation
Re: (Score:1)
What if? the United States had used their great wealth and geopolitical power helped transform Caribbean and Central and South American nations into self-sufficient partners instead of meddling in petty political elections for the last ciento cincuenta años?
Then Russia would have invaded them to prevent it, just like they did with Ukraine.
Re: (Score:2)
Do you realize that Russia until a couple of years ago had an economy only slightly larger than Mexico? It has a navy smaller than Australia, with almost no long range transport capability. They have a total of 21 foreign bases, almost all of them in former Soviet states which adjoin it. The only colony that Russia has ever held was Alaska. They have a considerably smaller population than Bangladesh.
TLDR; You can't get there from here.
Re: (Score:1)
Maybe you were unaware that they still had ICBMs. The reason their economy was so small was because they spent most their GDP on weapons of mass destruction. Here, educate yourself about a bit of history [wikipedia.org].
Re: (Score:2)
Oh, good grief, you don't even know that the expenses associated with weapons production are considered part of the economy? And unlike the US, the only WMD that Russia seems to be working on is maintaining their nuclear arsenal.
And an ICBM can't invade a country on the other side of the world, I'm not sure where you ever got that idea.
The Cuban Missile Crisis was 62 years ago, and involved a different country under an entirely different type of government.
Re: (Score:2)
As your own Wikipedia link shows, the bioweapons programs were shut down in the '80s and '90s, unlike in the US. Most of the lead researchers then moved to the US and continued their work, such as Ken Alibek who was granted citizenship when he brought copies of the lab notes for the Marburg/Smallpox Chimera to Dugway (the Soviets had destroyed all the originals after a scientist was accidentally infected and the video of his death played for the Kremlin leadership). When Commander In Chief Clinton ordered
Re: (Score:2)
'Germs' is the history of the Soviet and, to a lesser extent, American bioweapons programs, not fiction. They also cover Ma Anand Sheena and the Rajneeshees and their bioweapon attacks in Oregon (it's fortunate she was more a fanatic than she was a scientist, that could have been *much* worse). The research they cover is quite dated now, but it's a good historical overview.
I haven't really looked at the newest attempts at a nuclear powered motor, previous ones have mostly used the pile as a heat source.
Re: (Score:2)
the economy would eventually become so bad that the populace would rise up and depose...
That's the assumption by the elites, because it's exactly what they would do. When confronted by a bigger bully they'll roll over and show their belly like an abused puppy, their mistake is assuming that everyone else would react like they do. I don't remember of it working a single time in the last half a century, and I really can't recall a historical period where it ever worked on a population larger than a principality.
At some point though it has to sink in that it's not working, and it's not going to
Re: (Score:3)
It's true that the people might rise up and depose the single-party authoritarian regime. The problem is, that has been proposed as the solution for all sorts of failed states and many have tried it. Spoiler alert: the leader of the glorious people's revolution usually goes on to set up a new single-party authoritarian regime. Maybe they intend to, maybe they don't and then it just sort of happens. After all, when people are long suffering and have been assured that the glorious revolution will fix everythi
Re: (Score:2)
More like decades of trade embargos and no tourism have not solved the problem. Were politicians naively assuming that the population would overthrough the government and set up a USA friendly administration? More likely the politicians just make speeches to get the Cuban expat community's vote while kicking the can down the road; thus it is always somebody else's problem.
Re:Could there be an opportunity? (Score:5, Informative)
Almost as if decades of trade embargoes and no tourism have crippled the economy...
Ever been to the Bahamas? It's a dump outside of the areas intended for tourists. Unless you somehow rectify the underlying corruption, most of the wealth generated just goes into the pockets of the people at the top.
Granted, I'll give you that with a thriving tourism industry, the wealthy would likely try to make sure the power grid stays online, so there might at least be that.
Re: (Score:2)
The question to ask is always, "given how horrible Communism is, how badly was glorious capitalism fucking [whoever they are] over that Communism sounded like enough of an improvement to risk everyone's lives over it?"
Re: (Score:2)
Compare life over the last 60 years in Cuba with some of the alternative capitalistic paradises of the region, such as El Salvador, Colombia, and the 'murder capital of the world' Honduras. Suddenly life in Cuba doesn't seem so bad . . .
Re: (Score:2)
Compare life over the last 60 years in Cuba with some of the alternative capitalistic paradises of the region, such as El Salvador, Colombia, and the 'murder capital of the world' Honduras. Suddenly life in Cuba doesn't seem so bad . . .
Colombia is a bad example, since the end of the cartels they've been improving in leaps and bounds... Having shitloads of oil and a functioning govt.
I'd compare Cuba more with the Dominican Republic. Both countries are pretty poor but the DR has done slightly better as the US has been trading with it. They still have power outages as well, just fewer shortages because of no trade restrictions. The DR would be about where Cuba would be without them.
The DR has rolling power outages on a regular basis, n
Re: (Score:3)
The Cuban revolution wasn't communist. After it had won, the US embargoed Cuba, and RaÃl Castro as ambassador to the USSR had discussed matters with the top brass in Moscow, RaÃl persuaded Fidel to declare Cuba a Communist country so that the USSR would be keen to back it. Ideologically RaÃl was close to communism, but for Fidel it was a purely pragmatic denomination.
Re: (Score:2)
Oips: forgot that /. requires HTML entities for Raúl.
Re: (Score:3)
It can be both those things at the same time.
For example, the US is pretty corrupt, but doesn't have the sanctions (yet) so it's doing a bit better. They will get to find out what happens when the sanctions come in next year, when they declare tariffs on themselves.
Communism (Score:1, Troll)
Re: Communism (Score:2)
Lol. Seriously? Really? Seriously? What kind of idiot comment is that?
Re: (Score:1)
Lol. Seriously? Really? Seriously? What kind of idiot comment is that?
It's idiotic to look at the actual outcomes of things?
Re: Communism (Score:2)
The USA's thirst for forcing regime change and the virus that is the USA's fake "democracy", that is primarily to blame for the state of Cuba.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
You're really going to pretend that 60 years of economic attacks by the most powerful country on the planet has nothing to do with Cuba's economic situation?
You violently steal my property, don't expect me to play nice with you until you give it back. Cuba can pay reparations for the stuff they nationalised, and then we can talk. Until then they have only themselves to blame.
Re: (Score:2)
So the British should still be embargoing the Untied States? Right . . .
Re: (Score:2)
>> rewards laziness
I don't see laziness being rewarded there.
Re: Ukraine is learning Cuba's lesson (Score:1)
Although, in Ukraine's case, their pain is primarily due to not standing up to the USA/NATO and choosing to not remain independent. So, the powerful nation is not their neighbour, in that case. It's literally the same nation causing the problem as with Cuba.
That much is clear.
Re: Ukraine is learning Cuba's lesson (Score:4, Interesting)
That's bullshit. They are intersted in the west and NATO because of the powerful dangerous country on their own border, a country that previously had invaded another of its neighbors on whim for the "sin" of not playing a loyal lapdog. Yes, Ukraine could have remained a second class vassal of Russia, but it is not a crime to want independence from a brutal and corrupt regime. The whole problems *started* because they kicked out their brutal and corrupt lapdog.
If you want neighbors to be your friends, then be nice to them instead of threatening them constantly.
Re: (Score:2)
Easy, there, Ivan. You're pushing too hard.... baby steps....
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Woosh...
China can help. (Score:2)
The USA has played a big part in this. Perhaps China can step up and throw some cheap solar their way, and why not send them some of the excellent EVs that places like the USA are shunning once their supply is sorted out, maybe even using them for storage in the meantime.
Re: (Score:2)
Or where's Musk in all this? You'd think he'd want to swoop in like the Tony Stark he believes himself to be, saving the day with solar roofs and Powerwalls. In exchange, the Cubans could all go to work in his battery factories, like those Oompa Loompas in that chocolate story.
Re: (Score:2)
He's too busy solving the world's problems by trying to buy Hasbro. When he's done saving D&D then maybe he'll consider buying Cuba, if he's not distracted.
Communism is the best (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:1)
You likely won't have to worry about money or anything else ever again, after a stay in a Cuban hospital with no power.
Re: (Score:2, Offtopic)
fuck you unintelligent siloed lefty still referring trump to hitler...
lets see...
in WW2 - Hitler invaded -
Austria — March 12, 1938
Czechoslovakia — September 29, 1938
Poland — September 01, 1939
Denmark and Norway — April 09, 1940
France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg — May 10, 1940
France (2nd offensive) — June 05, 1940
Guernsey and Jersey (British Channel Islands) — June 30, 1940
Greece — April 06, 1941
Yugoslavia (modern Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and
Re: (Score:2)
When did this shit become news? (Score:2)
What makes Cuba different from Nigeria or Kenya or Kajang district, Malaysia (other than all the latter has more reliable electricity service)? 3rd world country doesn't have steady electricity for its residents. Its an infrastructure management problem, not a technology issue. Geez, are we now going to cover power blackouts in North Korea?