Cuba’s Power Grid Collapses Again

Cuba’s nationwide electricity grid collapsed late on Sunday, the state-owned grid operator Unión Eléctrica de Cuba said, plunging the island of about 10 million people into darkness. The utility did not immediately provide further details.

The outage followed three nationwide blackouts in July and came as a US-imposed oil blockade placed further strain on Cuba’s aging energy infrastructure. Power cuts have become increasingly frequent as the country struggles with fuel shortages and difficulties securing imports.

The situation worsened after US President Donald Trump imposed an oil blockade following Washington’s ousting of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on 3 January. Venezuela had long been Cuba’s primary oil supplier, while imports from Mexico were also halted amid mounting pressure from the United States.

The energy crisis has prompted Havana to cautiously open a sector that had previously been tightly controlled. The Cuban government recently authorized its first foreign-backed fuel import venture and allowed nearly 200 domestic businesses to participate in wholesale fuel distribution.

(Reuters, lud)