Latin America Advisor
Energy Advisor
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How Can Cuba’s Power Grid Become More Resilient?
Last month, Cuba was hit by three major blackouts in the space of a week, cutting electricity for large swaths of the country. // File Photo: Cuban Government.
Cuba on Feb. 21 was hit by a third major blackout in a week as power went out in wide swaths of central and eastern parts of the country. The blackout left half of the country’s population without electricity, and the minister of energy and mines is seeking to overhaul Cuba’s oil-fired power plants ahead of the summer season. What were the causes of the blackout on the island? What does Cuba need to do to make its power grid more resilient? How might the continued electrical outages affect the political climate of the communist-run country, which has already suffered from food, fuel and medicine shortages?
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Lisa Glidden, professor and director of global & international studies at SUNY Oswego: “Cuba’s ongoing blackout woes are indicative of a lack of capacity to bring extra power online to meet demand. A representative from Cuba’s National Electrical Union (UNE) reported on Radio Rebelde that several of its units failed, and several others were down for maintenance. Cuba does not have enough domestic energy supply to meet demand. Cuba’s primary source of energy is oil, much of which is imported. The island’s aging grid needs investment and replacement parts. Some maintenance is already happening, which is why four of the thermal generation units at three power plants were offline when the most recent blackouts occurred. The key to resilience is diversity and redundancy. In terms of diversity, Cuba has a plan and…”
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A sister publication of the Inter-American Dialogue’s daily Latin America Advisor, the weekly Energy Advisor captures fresh analysis from business leaders and government officials on the most important developments in oil and gas, biofuels, the power sector, renewables, new technologies, and the policy debates shaping the future of energy in the Western Hemisphere and beyond. To subscribe or for more information, contact Gene Kuleta, editor of the Advisor, at gkuleta@thedialogue.org.
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