CNC October Newsletter
As you have almost certainly heard, Cuba's energy crisis recently reached a new level of urgency. This month's CNC newsletter focuses mainly on combatting the misinformation about the crisis that is spreading on social media, mainstream media and from imperialist governments. The root cause of this crisis is nothing other than the unilateral, illegal and genocidal blockade against the Cuban people by the world's leading imperialist force, the government of the United States of America. Lift the blockade and let Cuba live!
LET CUBA LIVE: THE ENERGY CRISIS
CUBA: BLACKOUT AND BLOCKADE
by Silvio Rodríguez
Cuba is experiencing its worst energy crisis, with nearly the entire island and 10 out of its 11 million inhabitants without electricity. The blackouts, which had been occurring with increasing frequency and duration for some time, turned into a total collapse of the electrical system following the shutdown of its main thermoelectric plant on Thursday, the 17th. This has forced schools to close and nearly all economic activity to halt, while authorities and technicians work to restore power. The population fears that this situation may lead to an imminent famine due to food spoilage.
The immediate cause of the crisis lies in the lack of fuel to power the thermoelectric plants, worsened by a weather situation that delayed the arrival of a fuel oil shipment. However, the root cause is the same as that behind both the large and small problems on the island: the commercial and financial blockade imposed by Washington over six decades ago, with the stated aim of starving the Cuban population and forcing them to rise up against their authorities. Although this sinister objective has been thwarted, the endless difficulties Havana faces in earning foreign currency and acquiring essential supplies have indeed led to a painful shortage of everything necessary for daily life.
It is often thought that the blockade argument is merely an excuse, and the criminal nature of the dozens of laws and decrees that make up the densest network of non-armed aggression against a sovereign nation is forgotten. As an island located in the Caribbean Sea, Cuba’s natural economic vocation is tourism, and its proximity to the U.S., just 144 kilometers away, makes Americans its logical and primary market. But Washington's illegal regulations prohibit its citizens from traveling to the island. The illegal application of sanctions not only affects U.S. citizens but also any company, anywhere in the world, that buys or sells any product – be it an onion, a cancer drug, or a notebook for children to study – to Havana, risks being pursued and crushed by the country that dictatorially controls the global financial system. One of the most important sources of income for nearly all Latin American and Caribbean states, remittances sent by nationals working abroad, is also blocked for Cuba because it is not allowed access to the international payment system, one of the many tentacles of U.S. imperialism.
Since Hugo Chávez came to power democratically in Venezuela at the helm of the Bolivarian Revolution, Caracas has provided invaluable assistance to the Cuban people with its oil shipments. However, as Washington has made Venezuelans victims of the same atrocities it inflicts on Cubans, Nicolás Maduro's government has had to reduce its aid to Cuba, which has further overwhelmed an already extremely precarious situation. Likewise, Havana is prevented from purchasing machinery, tools, and spare parts to reverse the deterioration of its energy infrastructure, meaning failures will remain structural as long as Washington's boot continues to strangle the island. Cuba is also not allowed access to the technologies necessary to undertake an energy transition, despite the current occupant of the White House and other Western leaders claiming to champion the fight against climate change in their speeches. In the 21st century, except for Israel's treatment of the Palestinian people, no country has been as systematically and enduringly sadistic towards a civilian population as the U.S. in its assault on the Cuban people. The human suffering and deprivation of all prospects for a dignified life in their own land are testimony to the total disregard of the U.S. political class for the well-being and freedom of the very people they claim to speak for.
Monday, October 21, 2024
CNC STATEMENT ON CUBA'S ENERGY CRISIS
UNDERSTANDING CUBA'S ELECTRIC GRID
by Miguel Castro, professor of Electrical Engineering
Electrical systems have two characteristics:
Generation must equal demand at every moment (the electricity generated cannot be stored in a warehouse waiting to be demanded; it must be generated at every moment according to the demand at that moment). This is called power balance.There are devices that automatically achieve this balance.When this balance cannot be achieved for any reason, very dangerous instability phenomena occur, which rapidly cause systems to collapse, and no human action can prevent it.
Total electrical system failures (also called blackouts) are very rare in the world, but they do happen. Recovery takes many days because to generate electricity, you need electricity, and in Cuba’s case (without neighbors on the borders who can supply us with electricity), we must start from small microsystems that are gradually connected (synchronized) through the grids to give them the necessary robustness. An isolated microsystem is very vulnerable, and any small event (increased demand, a short circuit in the grid, etc.) can cause it to collapse, and then you have to start all over again.
In Cuba, the recovery process has always taken days or even weeks for the reasons explained above, but back then no one noticed these collapses because we didn’t have the communication tools we have today. The power would go out and come back many times before the dispatchers could form a robust system capable of automatically handling and balancing the power imbalances that were occurring.
To those who spread and amplify the idea of ineptitude or professional incompetence of our dispatchers and operators without knowing what they’re talking about, I say they tarnish the heroic pages that these workers write while we sleep or sit in our homes waiting for the lights to come back on. Some do it out of ignorance, which is understandable, but others do it with malice and disdain for our electrical workers because it’s a convenient narrative in the attempt (which they will never achieve) to destroy our Revolution.
Once again, I ask for patience, trust, and the conviction that we will get through this too.
And I’ll finish by reiterating:
NO ONE GIVES UP HERE!
Miguel Castro is a professor from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at Universidad Tecnológica de la Habana José Antonio Echeverría (Technological University José Antonio Echeverría in Havana, Cuba).
I DON'T FEEL LIKE IT
by Liliam Maria Zamoraro, a Cuban citizen
I've had consecutive nights of blackouts. I've also had blackouts during the day. The "power" doesn't go out... sometimes it comes on. The refrigerator is changing its name and function, because it seems more like a closet where almost nothing is cold. The mosquitoes bother me and ruin my sleep. The next day, I'm exhausted.
The list can be almost endless, but I DON'T FEEL LIKE it because my scant, outdated intelligence tells me that that metallic sound is not going to produce the millions of dollars needed to pay for the ships with oil. In any case, I would knock on the kettle to demand that they lift the blockade and take us off the list that prevents money from reaching Cuba.
I suffer the blackouts like anyone else, but I DON'T FEEL LIKE it to blame Díaz-Canel or the Government. In any case, I would love to yell at Trump and his partner Biden for the silent genocide they are carrying out against my people, against my children, against you and against me. Why don't we make memes to make fun of them and blame them for our hardships?
I am worried that my food will spoil, but I DON'T WANT to go out and protest in the neighborhood or throw a rock at the store in MLC. I am not going to be part of the dangerous game of those who hate Cuba and get rich in the process. With the rock, I would gladly do the same as the protagonist of Arjona's song "Señor Juez", but with the president of the country that causes so much pain in mine.
In short, I DON'T WANT to stop believing in the people who go out every day - despite the blackout - to teach, to heal, to produce and to dream. I DON'T WANT to stop loving Cuba. I DON'T WANT to stop hating those who oppress and attack it.
HAVANA'S ELECTRICITY HAS BEEN RESTORED
"However, the impossibility of maintaining constant flows in the acquisition of fuel necessary for the operation and maintenance of the country’s thermoelectric power plants continues to be an aggravating factor in the current situation regarding the sustainability of the electric service, beyond the announced reestablishment. Until the blockade is ended once and for all and Cuba is allowed to trade normally with the world this types of crisis will re occur."
HOW YOU CAN HELP
The Let Cuba Live donation drive for humanitarian aid is a collaborative effort between The People’s Forum, The Hatuey Project, and The Party for Socialism & Liberation.
INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY WITH CUBA
“I want Barbadians today to reflect and ask who would have helped us if the 100 nurses and doctors did come in the height of COVID. I think we have a moral duty to find out what goods Cuba can supply us, and equally what we can put together every month in whatever little way we can in a bank account, to show the solidarity and gratitude of the Barbadian people to the people of Cuba.”
"Mexico is offering technical support to Cuba in the face of the current energy emergency and is analyzing whether fuel assistance is also necessary , President Claudia Sheinbaum reported today, while ratifying her nation's position against the blockade."
"The US blockade of Cuba has wreaked havoc on Cuba’s socioeconomic development and people’s life. China once again calls on the US to follow the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and basic norms of international law, fully lift the blockade and sanctions on Cuba as soon as possible, and remove Cuba from the list of 'state sponsors of terrorism.' This is in the interests of both the US and Cuba and the two peoples, and conducive to regional stability and development. It is also what the wider international community calls for."
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
"As part of that strategy [for renewable energy], the use of photovoltaic solar energy has been promoted in Cuba, for which - since the beginning of 2024 - a broad investment process consisting of two projects is being carried out. The first one will allow the installation of 1,000 megawatts, in a period of two years; the second project, with the same amount of generation, should be ready in 2031."
Yaima Puig Meneses
UNGA VOTE ON US BLOCKADE AGAINST CUBA
A 24-hour Global Online Picket to End the U.S. Blockade on Cuba! + Remove Cuba from the so-called "State Sponsors of Terrorism" list! begins Oct. 29 at 8 p.m. Cuba time and ends Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.
In October 2024 Cuba will bring a resolution to the United Nations to end the cruel U.S. Blockade on Cuba for the 32nd consecutive vote! While the government of the U.S. votes “no” to ending the inhuman and illegal blockade, the people of the United States & the world vote “YES”! International actions will take place around the world October 26-30 marking the annual United Nations General Assembly vote. Join us for the 24-hour global online picket with a program of speakers, documentaries, music, and more as we stand by Cuba and its just demand for an end to this cruel U.S. policy.
24 HOUR GLOBAL ONLINE PICKET: Starting Tuesday October 29, 2024
8:00 pm (ET - Havana time)- Special Celebration & Wrap-up: Starting Wednesday October 30, 2024
7:00 pm (ET - Havana time)
Send video messages for the 24-hour Global Online Picket action:
Whatsapp: +1-778-882-5223
Email: info@us-cubanormalization.org
Organized by the U.S.-Cuba Normalization Conference Coalition https://www.us-cubanormalization.org
UPCOMING CNC MEMBER EVENTS
Vancouver/Surrey:
Winnipeg:
Toronto:
If you missed our joint webinar with the National Network on Cuba commemorating the terrorist bombing of Cubana Flight 455 on October 6th, 1976, you can watch the full video here:
https://www.facebook.com/CanadianNetworkOnCuba/videos/1043240910594858
To include your event in the CNC's next newsletter, email the details to webmaster@canadiannetworkoncuba.ca
