US Oil Blockade Causes Cuba National Blackout Amid Grid Collapse

Cuba Experiences Power Grid Collapse Amid Ongoing Oil Blockade

A power grid collapse has left Cuba without electricity, according to the Union Nacional Electrica de Cuba (UNE). The state-owned company reported that it was working to restore electricity flows and investigating the cause of the shutdown. The entire country, with a population of approximately 10 million, was affected by the outage.

The collapse occurred amid an ongoing US-imposed oil blockade on the island nation. No oil has been imported to Cuba since January 9, according to SEG ship-tracking data reviewed by Reuters. This has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis on the island, which relies almost solely on oil imports.

A blackout hit two-thirds of the country earlier this month, mainly in the centre and west, due to a breakdown at the Antonio Guiteras power plant. The US actions have further strained Cuba’s economic woes, causing widespread shortages of fuel, food, and medicine.

Cuba has received only two small vessels carrying oil imports this year, according to SEG ship-tracking data. The US government has openly stated its intention to seek regime change in Communist-led Cuba, which had been under a decades-long US trade embargo prior to the most recent actions.

President Miguel Diaz-Canel confirmed last week that his government had held talks with the Trump administration. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he believes Cuba “wants to make a deal”. The US top officials have vowed to continue their militaristic approach to Latin America, despite the ongoing conflict in Iran.

The situation has led to rare public unrest on the island, with protesters torching a Communist Party office over the weekend. Rights groups have warned against any US attempts to rally dissent by worsening living conditions for residents.

Source: Al Jazeera