English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana | 9 December 2022 — Three floating plants of the Turkish company Karpowership can be seen these days in the vicinity of the Otto Parellada power plant, known as Tallapiedra, in Havana. Of them, only two, the one that arrived on November 15 and one more, seem to be working, … Continue reading “Three Turkish Floating Power Plants Scramble to End the Blackouts in Cuba”
14ymedio, Juan Izquierdo, Havana, 27 August 2023 — The formidable column of smoke that extends from the bay of Havana to the east is the most visible example of the environmental damage caused by the Turkish patanas, the floating power plants present on the Island since 2019. The chimneys of the Suheyla Sultan, generating 240 … Continue reading “In Addition to Being Expensive, Turkish ‘Patanas’ Are a Pollution Bomb in Cuba”
14ymedio, Juan Izquierdo, Havana, 23 August 2023 — One of the best kept secrets of the Cuban authorities is the cost of the Turkish patanas [floating power plants] that, since 2019, contribute to alleviating blackouts on the Island. Faced with the silence of those responsible, 14ymedio went to look for information in the Dominican Republic, … Continue reading “Cuba Has Spent More Than 100 Million Dollars on Turkish ‘Patanas’, a Secret Investment”
14ymedio, Havana, 16 February 2023 — The fragility of the Cuban electrical system was evidenced once again. Now “an electrical failure in the use of the plant” has left the Antonio Guiteras de Matanzas Thermoelectric Power Plant out of service since shortly after noon this Thursday. According to a brief statement from the Unión Eléctrica that caused annoyance among users, … Continue reading “Cuba’s Largest Power Plant is Out of Service Due to an Electrical Failure”
14ymedio, Havana, 7 March 2023 — Heat begins to squeeze the inhabitants of the Island, and the demand for energy grows faster than the generation recovers. This Tuesday, many Cubans choked on their breakfasts when Cuban television announced power cuts of up to seven hours in some parts of the Island. “Yesterday in Sancti Spíritus … Continue reading “‘The Blackouts are Taking Off Again’ Throughout Cuba”
14ymedio, Madrid, 14 February 2023 — A fire in a cane field was the cause of the disconnection of the National Electricity System (SEN) that affected half of Cuba this Monday from the center to the east of the Island. The disconnection, from Ciego de Ávila to Guantánamo, occurred around 2 in the afternoon and … Continue reading “A Fire in a Cane Field Caused a Seven-Hour Blackout in the Middle of Cuba”
14ymedio, Havana, 12 September 2023 — Hundreds of thousands of Cubans watched this Monday, in the middle of the darkness, the Electric Union (UNE) page on Facebook to stay informed about the prolonged blackout they endured when, suddenly, the electricity company itself shared a post and a promotional video that infuriated users. “Tonight, after the … Continue reading “Cubans Return to a Hellish Night of Prolonged Blackouts Throughout the Country”
14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, July 24, 2023 — The presence of a State Security motorcycle was the only trace this Monday morning of the protest that took place on Sunday night in Belascoaín and San Lázaro, in Centro Habana . A dozen people managed to interrupt traffic by sitting across the street until two … Continue reading “A Dozen Residents of Central Havana Protest the Lack of Electricity and Water”
14ymedio, Natalia López Moya/Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 5 May 2023 — “Line up, one by one and slowly!” shouted a security employee at the Regla pier, to the passengers who had just arrived in the boat and had to travel over a short walkway to reach land. The metal structure is so rusty and full … Continue reading “A Bridge in Ruins and Few Passengers: Deterioration Reaches the Small Launch From Regla in Havana”
14ymedio, Havana, February 25, 2023 — The energy collapse that has caused four major blackouts on two-thirds of the Island in just nine days “is unprecedented,” Daniel Pérez García, director of the Electric Company of Ciego de Ávila, acknowledged on Thursday. For the official press, which defines blackouts as “deplorable facts,” the crisis began on … Continue reading “The Energy Collapse of Recent Days is ‘Unprecedented’ in Cuba, Recognizes an Electric Company Employee”
14ymedio, Madrid, 4 January 2022 — Cuba will again suffer blackouts between January and April, although they will be shorter, more localized and in order to do maintenance so that in May, the National Energy System (SEN) is prepared for the start of the high consumption season with the increase in temperatures. This was reported … Continue reading “The Cuban Government Congratulates Itself that Blackouts will Return but Only for Two or Three Hours a Day”
