Cuba in darkness again: US oil blockade causes another blackout this week, as Havana turns to flashlights

A power outage, the second in five days and the third this month, left Cuba without power on Saturday, with authorities later blaming an “unexpected failure” in a generating unit at the Nuevitas thermoelectric plant in Camagüey province.Also read: Cuba suffers deep energy crisis with blackouts across the island“From that moment on, there was a widespread failure of the units that were online,” the Ministry of Energy and Mines said in a report.

Cuban blackout

The ministry said it has activated “micro-islands” of generation units to supply power to essential services, including hospitals, water systems and other critical centres.Initially, the Cuban Electric Union, which reports to the Energy Ministry, announced a nationwide blackout without immediately giving a reason.

Cuban blackout

Efforts to restore power are ongoing.Power outages ‘relatively normal’ in CubaPower outages – both nationwide and regional – have become increasingly common in Cuba over the past two years due to failures in the country’s aging infrastructure. These breakdowns are compounded by daily blackouts lasting up to 12 hours, driven by persistent fuel shortages that put further pressure on the system.Also read: Communist Party office attacked over power cuts in CubaPower outages have had a severe impact on daily life, disrupting work, limiting cooking options and causing food spoilage due to refrigeration failures, among other challenges.

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Cuban blackout

President Miguel Diaz-Canel said the island has not received oil from foreign suppliers for three months, with domestic production meeting only about 40% of its fuel needs.While Cuba’s deteriorating electricity grid is a major factor, the government has also blamed US sanctions for the crisis. In January President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on countries that supply oil to Cuba, with Washington demanding the release of “political prisoners” and steps toward political and economic reforms in exchange for an easing of sanctions.

Cuban blackout

Trump has also raised the possibility of a “friendly takeover” of Cuba.(with AP input)