Hours after Cuba suffered another island-wide blackout on Saturday (local time), leaving more than 10 million people without electricity, the island nation began efforts to restore power on Sunday, Reuters reported.
The power grid collapsed for the second time in a week after the US oil blockade dealt a major blow to the country’s already ailing energy infrastructure.
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Second blackout in Cuba in a week
The grid went down at 6:32 p.m. (2232 GMT) on Saturday after a major power plant failed in Nuevitas, in Cuba’s eastern Camaguey province, grid operator UNE said.
In a post on X, Cuba’s Ministry of Energy announced the power outage, saying, “There has been a complete disconnection of the national electrical system,” adding that “restoration protocols are already beginning to be implemented.”
The island nation was still recovering from a nationwide power grid collapse that occurred on Monday, CNN reported. Monday’s blackout was the first since Washington began blocking fuel supplies to Havana from Venezuela earlier this year after it captured President Nicolas Maduro.
Before Saturday’s blackout, the state-owned utility said on social media that it expected a power deficit of 1,704 megawatts during one of the busiest Saturday periods.
Cuba’s electrical grid is on the verge of failure
Cuba’s power grid has been on the brink of failure for months, with persistent instability leaving residents without power for hours every day and sometimes longer, despite relatively better conditions.
Saturday’s power outage was the third major outage this month. Earlier, on March 4, a large part of the system collapsed after a crucial thermal power plant failed.
Donald Trump wants to take over Cuba?
The outage came nearly a week after US President Donald Trump said whether he would have “the honor of conquering the island”. In recent weeks, he has been talking about Cuba and predicting the collapse of the communist government there. However, his latest statements on Monday rang out loud.
Speaking from the White House, Trump said, “You know, all my life I’ve heard about the United States and Cuba, when is the United States going to have the honor to take Cuba? That’s a great honor,” adding, “To take Cuba in some form, yes, to take Cuba — I mean, whatever I liberate, I’ll take, I think I can do whatever I want with it.”
Despite being asked what he needs to do with Cuba, Trump did not clarify whether the US would have to carry out a similar operation to Venezuela, a key ally of Havana.
Read also | Trump Talks Tough As Cuba Struggles With Deep Economic Crisis — Will Havana Back Down?
A potential attack on Cuba?
On Saturday, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, referring to international activists bringing humanitarian aid to the island, said in a speech that the government recognizes there could be an attack on the island and is preparing accordingly, CNN reported.
In a national address last week, Díaz-Canel said authorities were in talks with their American counterparts about possible negotiations to lift the fuel embargo. The government has since made it clear that its political system cannot be discussed in any such way.
Amid the ongoing fighting in Cuba, it remains to be seen how the country will cope or if the government will capitulate and allow Trump to decide its fate.
