Cuba hit with another blackout as millions across the island are left without electricity
HAVANA (AP) — Cuba’s power grid collapsed on Friday, leaving millions of people across the island without electricity in a nationwide blackout.
The Ministry of Energy and Mines announced the island-wide power outage on its official X account without giving a cause and added that officials had begun “activating service-restoration protocols.”
Power grid collapses have become increasingly common over the past two years because of the severe economic crisis gripping the island. They have worsened since January, after the United States imposed an energy blockade aimed at forcing a change in Cuba’s political system.
The restrictions prevent Cuba from importing the fuel needed to operate its thermoelectric power plants, as well as replacement parts required to maintain infrastructure that in many cases has become obsolete. Just one tanker of fuel has been delivered since, by a Russian tanker in March.
The two most recent nationwide blackouts occurred in early August, following others in July and March, as well as several regional outages.
Even when the national power grid is working, Cubans endure outages lasting more than 30 consecutive hours.
The blackouts have a significant impact on the population and, combined with the energy embargo, have led to transportation limitations, reduced work hours and flight cancellations, in addition to serious public health consequences.
The power outages also affect basic activities such as cooking, water supply, and internet and telephone service.
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