Cuba sounds summer energy alarm, plans blackouts
By ANDREA RODRIGUEZ
Associated Press Writer
HAVANA -- Cubans are in for an especially hot summer under an energy
saving plan that could shut off air conditioners at work and require
Saturday-morning blackouts at home, according to an unpublished
government directive obtained by The Associated Press.
The plan, signed by new Economics Minister Marino Murillo and
circulating Tuesday among government offices and state companies, also
calls for large-scale vacations for government workers but doesn't say
if they will be paid. The measures are necessary, it says, to conserve
petroleum used to generate electricity during the Caribbean nation's
sweltering summer months.
Residential electrical use can often triple in the summer because of
fans and air conditioners.
In the nation's capital, home to more than 2 million of Cuba's more than
11 million people, temperatures commonly hit 32 Celsius (near 90 degrees
Fahrenheit) and up during the summer. Humidity hovers around 88 percent
in the morning.
"On the bus, everyone is talking about it," food service worker Milenis
Angarcia said of the measures, which had been rumored in recent days.
"Another 'Special Period' wouldn't be easy," she added, referring to
severe economic measures taken in the early 1990s after the Soviet
Union's collapse.
"What can you do? We'll move forward," said her co-worker Angela
Angueira. "This country is prepared for anything."
The directive says the government is alarmed by unexpected increases in
petroleum use this year and the "exceptional measures" will take effect
Monday. It says 40,000 extra metric tons of petroleum worth $100,000
were used during the first three months of the year to cover an
unplanned 3 percent increase in electricity over what was projected for
that period.
The directive did not explain the increase, but there have been growing
government calls in recent days for workers to labor harder and not
waste petroleum and other resources.
The island produces about half its oil and receives the rest from
Venezuela on highly preferential terms. Most of Cuba's electricity is
generated by crude.
Venezuela and its socialist President Hugo Chavez, who has become Cuba's
chief economic benefactor since the collapse of the Soviet Union, send
the island 92,000 barrels of oil a day in exchange for social programs
such Cuban doctors who provide free care. But Venezuela's ability to
continue such largesse is uncertain as plummeting oil prices have put a
major dent in its revenues.
Conservation plans will be prescribed for each province, and every
government department must file a daily report on electrical use.
The directive says blackouts should not be scheduled during regular
cooking times, to minimize the impact on homes. In addition to
disconnecting air conditioners at workplaces, lighting at some
businesses will be shut off.
Cuba sounds summer energy alarm, plans blackouts - Americas -
MiamiHerald.com (26 May 2009)
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