Cuban power grid collapses for second time in a week amid US oil blockade

HAVANA – Cuba’s national electric grid collapsed on March 21 for the second time in a week amid a US-imposed oil blockade, officials announced, as the communist government struggles to keep the lights on for its 10 million people with decrepit infrastructure.

“At 6.32pm, a total disconnection of the National Electric Power System occurred. We will continue to provide updates,” the state utility Union Electrica said on social media.

This incident marks the third major power outage in March, as a majority of the system went down on March 4 when a major thermoelectric generating plant failed.

The power grid also went completely offline on March 16 for unexplained reasons.

Cuba has experienced a series of major or total outages in recent years, but two total failures in the space of a week are exceptional.

US President Donald Trump has imposed an oil blockade on the Caribbean island after Washington deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Jan 3, removing him from the country to face drug-trafficking charges in an early morning raid.

Venezuela had been Cuba’s most important benefactor, providing oil to its close ally on favourable terms.

Since then, Mr Trump has cut off Venezuelan exports to Cuba and threatened other countries with punitive tariffs if they sell oil to Cuba.

Mexico, the most important oil supplier to Cuba along with Venezuela, has halted its oil shipments, while also providing humanitarian aid.

With global oil prices surging due to the US and Israeli war with Iran, the US has temporarily lifted sanctions on Russian oil products, but included an exemption that specifically excludes transactions involving Cuba in addition to North Korea and Crimea.

Cuba has long blamed the US trade embargo for economic failures including its failing power grid, while Washington has attributed the failures to Cuba’s Soviet-style command economy. REUTERS