Overview
- National utility data report available generation at 935 megawatts against national demand of about 3,100 megawatts, leaving a shortfall of roughly 2,165 megawatts.
- Only a tiny fraction of Havana had power after the outage, with reporting that about 6 percent of households were served while many areas remained dark.
- Analysts and officials point to aging thermal plants, lack of spare parts, shortages of lubricants and processing chemicals, and highly sulfurous domestic heavy oil that damages equipment.
- The blackout is disrupting water supply because most pumps need electricity or fuel, interrupting health services and leaving some residents with multi-day outages, including reports of an eight-day outage in Matanzas.
- Public frustration is rising as promises of plant reactivations fail to restore reliable power, contributing to 107 demonstrations in June and reports of increased dollarization of basic services.