MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Six hour daily blackouts in Cuba.

Cuban authorities announced a daily six-hour blackout plan for Havana as one of the steps taken by the government recently to stem the island's serious energy crisis.

Under the plan published in Sunday's Juventud Rebelde official newspaper, the lights will go out in the capital at the same time every day, Monday through Friday. However blackout hours will be rotated among different municipalities of the Cuban capital on weekends.

The plan's objective is "to contribute to the organization of production, services and the family life of our people" the announcement said.

The cuts are part of a package of measures announced this week by Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage to meet the island's serious power deficit following a breakdown at the island's largest thermoelectric plant last May that has caused blackouts of up to eleven hours.

Other measures include the closing of 118 companies, the reduction of the workday by half an hour and the halting of various production plants.

Mr. Lage said the measures are aimed at "reducing blackouts and their effect on the population to the extent possible, and achieving better distribution; everything necessary will be done to have a more secure and more reliable system" highlighted Mr. Lage on local television.

The Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant in the western province of Matanzas last May 5 suffered a broken rotor which made the usual blackouts on the island's precarious electricity supply system even more prevalent.

Since the collapse of the Soviet empire Cuba ceased to receive fuel at subsidized price virtually causing a collapse of the energy system. The situation has since gradually improved with Canadian investments and Venezuelan solidarity but still is extremely vulnerable.