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Third blackout in days
Cuba’s national power grid went completely offline at about 11:05 am (1505 GMT) for the third time in less than 10 days, according to the state-run UNE electricity company.
UNE said the failure began when the Felton 1 generating unit unexpectedly shut down, triggering a sudden fluctuation in the electrical system that caused the National Electric System (SEN) to go offline.
In the capital Havana, power outages totalled more than 30 hours at a time in both of last week’s blackouts, while in the outlying provinces it was several days before electricity was restored.
AFP quoted Maria Caridad Alvarez, a 62-year-old housewife, saying, “When I woke up this morning, the power was back and I cooked some beans. Now, I went out and it’s off again.”
AFP also quoted David Matias Rodriguez, an 82-year-old retiree, saying he was worried the few things in his refrigerator would be spoiled as the grid collapsed again.
Restoration plans and blame
UNE said crews are working to restore electricity by bringing thermoelectric power plants in western Cuba back online, while authorities prepare isolated “microsystems” to restore power gradually beginning with hospitals, emergency services and other critical facilities.
Al Jazeera reported that Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines said on social media, “There has been a total disconnection of the electrical system,” as the island faced its third nationwide blackout in less than 10 days.
Channels Television said UNE attributed the grid’s vulnerability to fuel shortages, and that the use of emergency generators was all but impossible.
Al Jazeera said Washington and Havana trade blame, with Havana blaming an oil blockade imposed by the United States after the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from power on January 3, while Washington said Cuba’s communist government is responsible for the deteriorating power system.
At a UN General Assembly debate on US sanctions, US Ambassador Michael Waltz told Cuba’s leaders, “Change your ways and turn the lights back on for your people,” as the outages continued.
Fuel shortages and social strain
Channels Television said Cuba is reeling from its worst economic crisis in decades, made worse by the fuel blockade imposed by US President Donald Trump in January as part of a pressure campaign aimed at ending six decades of communist rule.
It said Washington authorized the arrival of only one Russian tanker carrying 100,000 tons of crude in March, and that those reserves have since been exhausted.
Al Jazeera said the repeated blackouts have fuelled growing frustration across the island, and reported that just a week earlier scattered protests broke out across Havana with residents banging pots and pans and shouting “turn on the lights” as millions endured another prolonged outage.
Devdiscourse described the latest outage as the third major blackout in nine days, saying it was exacerbated by a U.S.-imposed oil blockade following President Trump’s actions against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Caliber.Az reported that the blackout left the island without power once again amid a deepening energy crisis affecting a country of about 10 million people.
