The western province of Pinar del Río has successfully reconnected to the National Electric System, as of Monday night, after transmission lines were severely damaged by Hurricane Rafael. This announcement was made by Communist Party officials in the region at approximately eleven o'clock that evening, marking the end of over 120 hours without electricity for many families who had been eagerly awaiting the return of this essential service.
Independent journalist and opposition figure José Rolando Casares Soto reported that the city remains largely shrouded in darkness, save for a few specific areas such as the offices of the Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba S.A. (ETECSA) and the area known as Reparto Los Militares, which have maintained power amidst widespread outages. The rest of the residents of Pinar del Río continue to grapple with the lack of electricity and its consequential hardships.
Adding to the tension, a noticeable increase in police presence has been observed in the streets of Pinar del Río, as highlighted by the non-governmental organization Cubalex in a recent statement. This heightened security measure has only intensified the pressure felt by the city's inhabitants.
Struggles to Reconnect and Persistent Challenges
Local state-run media had earlier reported difficulties in reestablishing the connection to the National Electric System. According to Tele Pinar, quoting Yosvany Torres, the principal specialist at the Technical Directorate of the OBE Pinar del Río, workers were tasked with traversing approximately 50 kilometers to locate and resolve the fault that was obstructing the electricity supply to the province.
Hurricane Rafael, which made landfall in Cuba on November 6, 2024, as a category 3 cyclone, caused extensive damage to the island's energy infrastructure, resulting in a complete disconnection from the National Electric System. This widespread power outage exacerbated the already dire energy crisis Cuba was facing, leaving the entire population without electricity.
A Pre-existing Energy Crisis Worsened
Even before Rafael's arrival, Cuba was suffering from a severe energy crisis marked by frequent and prolonged blackouts due to a chronic shortfall in electricity generation. The country's aging electrical infrastructure, largely comprised of thermoelectric plants over 40 years old, remains in a precarious state due to inadequate maintenance and resources. The devastation caused by Rafael further aggravated these issues, depriving millions of Cubans of basic services and complicating recovery efforts in the hardest-hit areas.