Cuba Restores Electrical Grid Amid Ongoing Energy Crisis

Cuba announced the restoration of its electrical grid following a partial collapse that plunged Havana and western Cuba into darkness. The incident is part of an ongoing energy crisis causing widespread blackouts for months. The outage was triggered by a failure in a main transmission line connecting Havana to the country’s largest power plant in Matanzas. By midday, power had been restored to 40% of Havana and all western provinces affected were reconnected within hours. Prior to this event, Cuba had been grappling with daily outages lasting up to 20 hours, including in Havana, where blackouts now last over 10 hours daily. Officials attribute the crisis to a generation shortfall, indicating that regular blackouts will persist. The outdated oil-fired power plants on the island have been struggling due to dwindling oil imports from Venezuela, Russia, and Mexico. The government cites fuel shortages, aging infrastructure, and damage from Hurricane Melissa as exacerbating factors. Sanctions and economic challenges have hindered fuel procurement, leading to a significant drop in crude and fuel imports compared to the previous year. The situation has forced Cuba to rely heavily on allies for energy resources.