Cuba Hit by Second Nationwide Power Outage in Four Days

Cuba's national power grid collapsed on Friday for the second time in a week and the fourth time this year. The oil embargo imposed by the United States has crippled the island's already outdated power generation system.

"We are already working on restoring the National Electric Power System, a complex situation amid all the difficulties we face on a daily basis", Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy wrote on social media.

Even before the collapse, large areas of Cuba, including the city of Santiago de Cuba, were without power due to a severe fuel shortage. Following Monday's nationwide blackout, ten million residents of the island lost power. By Tuesday evening, authorities had managed to restore most of the grid.

A café owner in Havana described how, over the past month, she had electricity at home for only one or two hours a day. Another resident of the island's capital confirmed that power outages are becoming increasingly frequent.

US President Donald Trump imposed an oil embargo on the Caribbean island after Washington ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on 3 January. Venezuela had been Cuba's main fuel supplier, and subsequent pressure from the United States led Mexico to halt oil shipments to the island.

Chronic power outages are heightening social tensions. Following Monday's nationwide blackout, small protests took place in Havana, during which people banged on pots and pans.

Cuba blames the decades-long US trade embargo for its failing infrastructure. The US, in turn, claims that the outages are the result of mismanagement of Cuba's state-controlled economy.

(Reuters, Luc)