7th power outage this year: Cuba's power grid collapses again

dpa | There has been a complete power outage in the Caribbean country of Cuba for the seventh time since the beginning of the year. “The cause is being investigated immediately and protocols to restore supply have been activated,” state power utility UNE said.

The socialist island state is suffering from a severe energy crisis due to its dilapidated infrastructure and an oil embargo imposed by the USA for months. The country with around 9.4 million inhabitants can only cover part of its oil needs.

Malfunctions in the outdated thermal power plants and the lack of fuel have already severely affected the power supply in several parts of the country in recent days. Recently, people sometimes had to go without energy for up to 30 hours a day. Even before the nationwide blackout, UNE had assumed that only 1,110 megawatts would be available during peak demand on Friday - against a demand of 3,200 megawatts.

Since December, Cuba has no longer received any oil from its former sister state Venezuela. Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was arrested in a US military operation in Caracas in January. Now Washington is working with Acting President Delcy Rodríguez.

In January, US President Donald Trump also threatened countries that exported oil to Cuba with punitive tariffs. Fuel deliveries from abroad then came to a virtual standstill. Only the Cuban private sector is currently allowed to import fuel from the United States. With numerous sanctions, Washington is trying to bring about economic and political reforms in Cuba in the interests of Washington.