Via Reuters:
A Council of Ministers circular, dated Oct. 21 and which reduced government power allocations, termed the energy situation “critical” and called for “extreme measures” through December.
“The energy situation we face is critical and if we do not adopt extreme measures we will have to revert to planned blackouts affecting the population,” said the order, which was seen by Reuters.
All provincial governments and most state-run offices and factories, which encompass 90 percent of Cuba’s economic activity, were already ordered in June to reduce energy use by a minimum of 12 percent or face mandatory electricity cuts.
The situation is not as dire as in the 1990s because Cuba receives 93,000 of the 150,000 barrels of oil per day that it consumes from strategic ally Venezuela on preferential terms.