Cuba's power system went down again today, leaving the entire country without power for the second time within hours after authorities said they had begun restoring service , Reuters reported, citing Cuban state media.
Newspaper “Cuba Debate“ (Cuba Debate), one of the island nation's state publications, quoted a statement from the Cuban energy operator “Union Electrica” (UNE) that at 6:15 a.m. local time “the national power system completely shut down”. “Union Electrics“ is working on her recovery”, the statement also reads.
Cuba's power system collapsed at noon yesterday after one of the island's largest power plants unexpectedly shut down, leaving more than 10 million people without power.
Even before the grid went down, power outages forced Cuba's communist authorities to furlough non-essential workers and cancel school hours in an effort to conserve fuel for power generation.
Lights started flickering in places last night, giving some hope that power will be restored.
The power operator has not yet released details about the cause of today's power outage or how long the work will take to restore service.
The Cuban government has been accused of exacerbating power problems for weeks. Often between 10 and 20 hours a day, much of the island remains without power due to deteriorating infrastructure, fuel shortages and growing population needs.
Strong winds brought by Hurricane Milton last week also complicated the delivery of fuel by boat to the island's power plants, officials said.
Fuel supplies to Cuba have been cut sharply this year after until recently key suppliers Venezuela, Russia and Mexico cut supplies. Key ally Venezuela has halved its supply of subsidized fuel to Cuba this year, forcing the island to seek far more expensive oil on the market.
The Cuban government has also blamed the US for its trade embargo, as well as sanctions imposed during the administration of Donald Trump. Havana pointed out that the restrictive measures in question continue to create difficulties in procuring fuel and spare parts for operation and maintenance of the plants.
Yesterday, the United States denied having any role in the power grid failure in Cuba.