After the explosions in a fuel depot in the Cuban coastal city of Matanzas, parts of the capital Havana lost electricity for hours. For example, in the Vedado district, where there are several embassies, the lights went out for almost four hours on Monday evening (local time). There was no official information on the cause for the time being. The Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric power plant near Matanzas was temporarily taken off the grid on Monday – according to the government, due to a lack of water due to the extinguishing work. This further exacerbated the difficult situation of electricity supply in Cuba.
On Friday evening, lightning during a thunderstorm caused the fuel tank in Matanzas, a good 100 kilometers east of Havana, to explode. The fire spread to other parts of the facility. On Monday night, a second tank exploded and a third collapsed. Specialists from Mexico and Venezuela traveled to help with the extinguishing work. According to the authorities, there were 125 injured, at least one dead and 14 missing firefighters.
The fuel storage tanks contained crude oil and imported heavy fuel oil, which is used primarily to generate electricity.
(Photo: Ismael Francisco/dpa)
The tanks contained Cuban crude oil and imported heavy fuel oil, which is primarily used to generate electricity. The fire devoured important energy reserves of the socialist state, which was already suffering from a serious economic crisis and major problems with the energy supply.
Controlled power outages began in Havana last Wednesday. In addition to other measures to save electricity, the provincial government had announced that these would take place every three days and last from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. In the rest of the country, there had been power outages for months, some of which lasted more than twelve hours a day, according to those affected on social media. Frequent power cuts during the hottest time of the year were one of the reasons for the July 2021 anti-government demonstrations in the socialist Caribbean country.