CUBA | ELECTRICITY
Cuba gets tough on wasting power
Cuba announced its latest plan for summer blackouts and made it clear
that any individual, business or government agency that violates the
rules will be dealt with harshly.
By WILFREDO CANCIO ISLA
El Nuevo Herald
The next round of restrictions on the use of electricity in Cuba will be
accompanied by actions to prevent fraud in the residential sector and
the intensification of political work at the community level to prevent
possible waste of resources.
The government program, which took effect Monday, stipulates that the
efforts to reduce the use of energy will be aided by ''the support of
the CDR (block committees), the Federation of Cuban Women, teachers and
pioneros (young Communist Party members), in every home, block and
community,'' according to the resolution signed by the minister of
economic planning, Marino Murillo Jorge.
CDR members and brigades of pioneros will make surprise visits this summer.
The new resolution contains ''exceptional measures'' that the Cuban
government will put in effect to stop the high consumption of
electricity that took place in the early months of 2009.
The document specifies drastic measures to be implemented through
''provincial plans of consumption'' that will determine the adjustments
to be made for each region of the island.
The guidelines establish severe readjustments for the ordinary citizen
who thought the blackouts were a thing of the past after the ''energetic
revolution'' proclaimed by Fidel Castro in 2005.
''In order to have minimal disruptions at home, there will be no
blackouts during meal times nor in the early hours of the morning so as
to allow the population to rest during the summer months,'' states the
resolution, adding that blackouts will only take place between 8-10 a.m,
2-4 p.m and 8 p.m.-midnight.
Blackouts have already started in some central and eastern parts of the
country.
If a company or state agency breaks the rules, it will be closed until
it compensates for the energy used.
Other measures announced in the document:
• Air conditioners will be turned off at state agencies that do not
comply with the strict rules. Thermostats must be set at 75 degrees and
steps should be taken to deter air leakage.
• Lighting in all shopping centers should be turned down and turned off
when all work is completed. Only the lights needed for external
protection will be left on.
• Companies that do not comply with these regulations will be forced to
take long vacations during the summer..
The document states that territorial meetings will take place this month
under the leadership of Murillo and Commander Ramiro Valdés Menéndez,
both promoted at the beginning of the year to vice presidents of the
Ministry Council.
The resolution states that in the first quarter of 2009, electric
consumption in Cuba increased by 3 percent. April was particularly
worrisome with an 8 percent increase.
According to authorities, this overuse forced the government to use
40,000 tons of fuel that had not been planned. Energy use continued to
grow in May, in what the document calls an ''alarming'' trend.
Cuba gets tough on wasting power - Breaking News - Dade -
MiamiHerald.com (6 June 2009)
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/breaking-news/story/1084178.html
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