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Electricity Restored in Cuba - Pinar del Rio, Cuba, Oct 26 (Prensa Latina)
More than 99 percent of Cuban territory has been connected to the national power grid, as a result of hard work to reestablish electricity services damaged by hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
Works will be completed soon in Cuba’s westernmost province, Pinar del Rio, as well as in eastern Las Tunas province and the Isla de la Juventud special municipality.
Speaking at a ceremony to see off the brigades that carried out the recuperation works, Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage noted the effort made by technicians and experts to repair the facilities damaged by the two hurricanes.
“It is a very risky profession that requires good training, will and a spirit of solidarity,” he stressed.
Many of the workers who worked in this region were also affected by the hurricanes. However, they assisted in the recuperation works since the very beginning, he added.
Lage explained that part of that labor force would work to reestablish power in communities where recuperation has not been completed yet.
The Cuban vice president pointed out that after being hit by two devastating hurricanes, Pinar del Rio has the safest system at present, as works also included improvement of the power network.
More than 6,500 posts, 526 transformers and some 49,000 lines were installed, and more than 1,000 secondary improvements were made in 54 days of work, he said.
“At present, residents in Vueltabajo (as this zone is also known) enjoy a more stable and reliable electrical network,” he stressed.
Lage recalled that the country faced the hurricanes in better conditions than in previous years, due to the effectiveness of the groups of power generators, among other investments made to improve the national power grid.
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I added the “but not really” because no one ever really knows for sure what’s true in Cuba. Also, do the math…
“More than 99 percent of Cuban territory has been connected to the national power grid,”
That’s 99+%. Whether they are talking about all of Cuba or just Pinar del Rio province the next sentence throws me off.
“Works will be completed soon in Cuba’s westernmost province, Pinar del Rio, as well as in eastern Las Tunas province and the Isla de la Juventud special municipality. ”
So, power has been restored to 99+% except to Pinar del Rio province, eastern Las Tunas and Isla Juventud?
Sounds like the author didn’t do his math.
”“At present, residents in Vueltabajo (as this zone is also known) enjoy a more stable and reliable electrical network,” he stressed. ”
I believe that. The electrical network is called generators.
I think many communities will be running on generators for years.
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Having just returned to my country after an extensive tour through Pinar del Rio and Los Palacios to view the hurricane damage, I can testify that electricity has been restored to most of the areas, and that reconstruction of housing is well advanced with very few houses now left uninhabitable.
Nearly 96% of electrical generation in Cuba is derived from fossil fuels, so therefore it matters little at the moment, if electricity is generated by small local generators, or large generators attached to the grid.
Is publisher just being pedantic?
Glad to hear things are returning to normal in OUR country….....
En cuanto Obama remueva las restricciones para nosotros los cubanos viajar a Cuba,me voy directo para Camaguey y para Puerto Padre que han sido 9 años que no voy a Cuba y ya es insoportable.
Solo entonces podré ver y comparar a esta nueva Cuba y a la Cuba que dejé en el 2000…..Creo que va a ser bien interesante.
wjmacar,
Thanks for the update. I’m glad to hear that things are going well for the locals.
Local generators run on small quantities of gas or diesel where the power plants run on large quantities of oil. HUGE difference in cost.
If you say all is well in Cuba, I have no reason to argue.
It’s when the Cuban government says everything is just fine is when my bullshit filter goes into overdrive.
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This is my signature - get yours in Your Control Panel. Go ahead and add a link to your site. Self promotion is permitted as long as it is beneficial to our community.
I hope I don’t sound like an apologist for the Cuban government. I am more an idealist and feel the best way that the international community can improve conditions in Cuba is to trade with them.
Can you imagine what 50 years of free trade would have done to Cuba, rather than an embargo?
We [the international community] have open trade with countries [in the Middle East and parts of Asia] much worse than Cuba in areas of human rights and lack of a democratic process.
I should add I am not Cuban or Latin American
wjmacar,
Oh I see…..I thought you referred to “my country” as Cuba !!!
Well,I am glad to get an unbiased report…....
I wrote in Spanish that I intend to go to Cuba as soon as Obama lifts the restrictions on travel for Cubans and Cuban/americans…..
I have not been there in 9 years and I am sure it will be quite interesting to see what Cuba has morphed into in that time.
Certainly the hurricanes put a damper on my travel plans since Hurricane Ike devastated my family’s town of Puerto Padre….I still want to go back ASAP!!!
I’m sure it will be very interesting indeed !!!!
Eric
I am from New Zealand, but have lived and worked in Latin America for 25 years and am fluent in Spanish. I have visited Cuba many times since 1994 on business and enjoy the country and the people.
Politics is not my scene, but I do sympathise with Cubans who for one reason or another, cannot return to their “patria”
Wjmacar - the international community DOES trade with Cuba. Its only ONE country that has an embargo on trade (which has exceptions in respect of food and agricultural sales). Cuba has HAD 50 years of free trade with the rest of the world. The reason its still such a basket case economically is that there is no internal free trade - the government owns everything and employs virtually everyone.
