The first secretary of the Party in Pinar del Río, Yamilé Ramos Cordero, has confirmed that several circuits in the province have experienced power outages lasting more than 15 hours during the past week.
Speaking on the local program "Thursday Debate," she explained that the country is facing a deficit of over 1,000 MW, affecting all provinces. She clarified that "Pinar del Río is not the most affected province." "Last week, the circuits had outages of seven to eight hours, and today we have outages ranging from 12 to 15 hours or even more," she noted.
Ramos Cordero mentioned that authorities are constantly making adjustments to "maintain the rotation of the two blocks whenever the impact is less than 50 MW." However, when the deficit exceeds this, it is impossible to adhere to the two-block schedule due to "demand and availability," she emphasized.
"When there is an 80 MW deficit in Pinar del Río, almost the entire province is without power, while hospitals and water well fields are protected," she assured.
Government Response and Public Discontent
In this context, she called for expanding work-from-home policies and delaying school start times for children when outages occur. Some areas of the island are experiencing power cuts of more than 20 hours daily due to generation deficits, breakdowns in their thermoelectric plants, and fuel shortages, leading to widespread public discontent and protests.
Two weeks ago, four Cuban mothers staged a sit-in at the provincial government headquarters in Pinar del Río, demanding a solution to the misery, hunger, and power outages they face. One of the protesters explained that there were four women with their children waiting to be attended to: "One of the mothers has a child, I have my child, another has a three-month-old baby, and another mother has three children," she noted.
Understanding Power Outages in Pinar del Río
Here are some frequently asked questions and answers to help understand the situation regarding the power outages in Pinar del Río.
Why is Pinar del Río experiencing long power outages?
The province is facing significant power outages due to a national deficit of over 1,000 MW, affecting all regions. Additionally, there are issues with fuel shortages and breakdowns in thermoelectric plants.
How are authorities addressing the power outages?
Authorities are making constant adjustments to maintain power rotation between blocks when the deficit is under 50 MW. However, larger deficits make it challenging to adhere to the schedule.
What measures are being suggested to mitigate the impact on daily life?
The government is encouraging expanded work-from-home policies and delaying school start times for children during outages.