Human Error Blamed for Sept. Blackout

HAVANA TIMES — Cuba’s national electric company said on Wednesday that the massive blackout that on September 9 left much of the island in the dark was caused by an operational error on the part of one of its employees, reported the Granma newspaper.

The shift manager of the national office of the utility company indicated: “The employee violated the transfer limits in the 220 kV line that links the Nuevitas substations in Camaguey province with the one in the town of Vicente, in Ciego de Avila Province. Despite having received orders to disconnect the loads in the western region — which would have prevented the mishap — the employee failed to do this in time.”

The statement said that the company “has adopted administrative measures regarding those responsible in correspondence to the seriousness of the incident” and has implemented a program of measures that will increase security and automation.

The blackout partially affected the services in the provinces of Camagüey, Ciego de Avila and Sancti Spiritus, and all services from Villa Clara to Pinar del Rio provinces, including the capital, leaving 60 percent of the Cuban population without service.