Cuba’s power grid has collapsed for the second time, extending the countrywide blackout
Cuba – No details were provided about the cause of the outage or how long it would take to restore power.
Cuba’s electricity network went down again early Saturday morning, causing a nationwide blackout just hours after authorities had announced the start of power restoration efforts – According to State media.
Cuba Debate stated that UNE, the electric grid operator in Cuba, announced a countrywide power outage at 6:15 AM Eastern Time.
They mentioned that they were making efforts to bring back the service. More than 10 million Cubans were left without electricity after a huge power plant malfunction caused a blackout on Friday afternoon.
Nevertheless, Canadian travel companies like Air Transat and Sunwing reassured travelers later in the day that their services remained unaffected.
Air Canada also conveyed to the public that airports and hotels had transitioned to generators in order to maintain smooth operations.
In addition, Canada’s Global Affairs Department told that it is “closely monitoring” the situation as well as will provide consular assistance to Canadians in need.
Workers and students have been sent home.
Even before the network collapse, a power shortage on Friday forced Cuba’s communist government to send non-essential workers home and cancel classes for children, as it sought to conserve fuel for power generation.
“By Friday night, a few parts of the island saw lights flickering, sparking some hope among residents that electricity would be restored soon.
Regardless of this, the grid operator has still yet to clarify what reasoned the outage on Saturday and or provide an estimate for when the power will be back.
The Cuba’s government has responsible weeks of worsening power outages – often lasting from Ten to Twenty hours a day in most parts of the island – on deteriorating infrastructure, fuel shortages, and increasing demand.
A storm is further complicating fuel deliveries. Officials said that the strong winds, which began with Hurricane Milton last week, have also complicated the island’s ability to deliver scarce fuel from boats off the coast to power its energy plants.
The Cuban government also blames the U.S. trade embargo, along with sanctions from the era of then-President Donald Trump, for ongoing difficulties inIn the current year, fuel deliveries to the island have significantly dropped due to Venezuela, Russia, and Mexico reducing their exports to Cuba, despite previously being significant providers.
Also, Venezuela, a strong partner, has cut in half its subsidized fuel shipments, causing Cuba to switch to the pricier spot oil market. obtaining fuel and spare parts to operate and maintain its oil-powered plants.
The United States denied any involvement on Friday in the collapse of Cuba’s electrical grid.
