Cuba in darkness for second time in a week, power system disrupted by energy crisis

Cuba's national power system has collapsed for the second time in less than a week. A large part of the country was left without power after a fault in a transmission line on Friday (July 10). State power company Union Electrica said the latest outage was caused by a problem in a transmission line between the provinces of Santa Clara and Santísimos and a sudden change in electrical quality.

The national grid was also paralyzed on Monday of this week. After that outage, power was gradually restored in various areas, but many people were without power for a long time. With Friday's incident, Cuba has faced its fourth major national power outage this year. The country's power supply has long been uncertain due to old generation plants, weak transmission systems and severe fuel shortages.

The power crisis has spread from the capital Havana to Santiago de Cuba. In some areas, electricity is available for only a few hours a day. Long load shedding has disrupted cooking, food storage, transportation, medical services and the normal functioning of small businesses. Authorities are trying to prioritize power supply to emergency services, hospitals and food production facilities.

The Cuban government says that US energy and economic sanctions have deepened the country's power crisis. Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero has cited fuel shortages and the US blockade as the main causes of the current disaster. According to the country's officials, old power plants are not being kept operational due to the difficulty of obtaining essential oil, parts and technology from abroad.

However, the United States does not agree with this explanation from Cuba. Washington claims that the country's economic mismanagement and the lack of proper renovation of its aging energy infrastructure are among the causes of the crisis. Cuba, on the other hand, describes US policy as a collective punishment imposed on ordinary people. Many countries have also expressed their support for lifting the embargo on Cuba in various UN discussions.

Although Cuba produces some of its own fuel, the country has long been dependent on imports to keep its power plants running. The country's domestic production can meet about 40 percent of its total demand, according to the relevant report. The decrease in foreign supplies has put great pressure on the power generation, agriculture and transportation sectors.

This year, the United States has also imposed new sanctions on Cuba's state oil company, Cupet. According to the US administration, the Cuban government has failed to manage its energy resources. Cuba sees the move as a political attempt to further weaken the country's economy. Analysts fear that if the energy supply is not normalized, the situation in the food, healthcare and transportation systems could become even more difficult in addition to the electricity crisis.

Anger is growing in some areas of Cuba over power outages and prolonged load shedding. Earlier, residents in various parts of Havana took to the streets to demand the restoration of electricity. Although the protests were limited, the ongoing crisis is adding to the country's social and economic pressure.

Cuba's electricity authorities are working to gradually restore the grid and connect different areas, but it is not yet certain how long it will take to fully restore power due to fuel shortages and aging infrastructure.

Source: Reuters and Associated Press