Two-thirds of Cuba, including Havana, hit by blackout
HAVANA, Cuba (AFP) — A grid failure knocked out power to two-thirds of Cuba, including Havana, on Wednesday, the national electric company UNE said.
The issue stemmed from an “unexpected” breakdown at the Antonio Guiteras power plant, one of the island’s largest, the utility said, adding that the centre and west of the island were affected.
Cuba’s electricity generation system is in shambles. Daily power outages of up to 20 hours are the norm in parts of the impoverished island, which lacks the fuel needed to generate power.
The crisis has become more acute since the United States’ (US) ouster of Cuba’s top ally, Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, on January 3.
Maduro’s administration supplied about half of Cuba’s fuel.
After Maduro’s capture, Washington imposed an oil embargo on arch-foe Cuba but later eased it, amid warnings from other Caribbean countries that it could trigger an economic collapse.
