Widespread Power Outage Hits Most Of Cuba
A huge blackout in Cuba left most of the country without power. About 2/3 of the island, including the capital Havana, were affected by the power outage. Officials said that the problem was caused by a failure in the national electric grid.
The interruption made Cuban state television go off the air for a short time during its afternoon show. More than 30 minutes later, when power was partially restored, news programming started up again. Officials said that engineers started working right away to restore power across the country.
Source: Al Jazeera
Blackout Caused By Problem At Big Power Plant
Cuban state media said that a problem at a big thermoelectric plant caused the blackout. There was a technical problem at the Antonio Guiteras power station, which is east of Havana. This failure caused power outages in many parts of the national grid.
The power outage affected all of Cuba, from the western province of Pinar del Rio to the eastern province of Las Tunas. Such widespread disruption shows how weak the country’s old power infrastructure is. Energy officials said that technicians were working to make the system more stable.
Longstanding Energy Crisis Continues To Affect Cuba
Cuba’s power grid has been having problems for years because of old equipment and a lack of fuel. Many areas already have power outages that last for several hours every day. In some places, people have to deal with power outages that last up to 20 hours on a regular basis.
One of the biggest problems the country’s power sector is facing right now is a lack of fuel. Power plants can’t run at full capacity because they don’t have enough supplies. Because of this, energy shortages keep getting in the way of everyday life on the island.
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US Pressure And Oil Restrictions Add Strain
Cuban officials say that the energy crisis has gotten worse because oil shipments are being limited. President Donald Trump’s administration has tried to put more economic pressure on Cuba. One of these steps is to limit the delivery of fuel that is necessary for making electricity.
Before recent political tensions got worse, Venezuela used to meet about 1/2 of Cuba’s fuel needs. But sanctions and problems with the supply chain have made these shipments much smaller. The resulting shortages have put even more stress on Cuba’s power grid.
Blackout Affects Daily Life In All Of Havana
The blackout caused problems right away for people living in Havana, the capital city. Businesses had to close for a while, and homes lost power and light. Some people who lived there spent time outside playing dominoes in the streets.
Cuba has a lot of power outages, but this 1 was especially bad. The disruption affected both cities and towns in the country. Officials said that the size of the outage could make restoration work take longer.
Ecuador Expels Cuban Ambassador And Staff
At the same time, diplomatic tensions between Cuba and Ecuador grew. The Ecuadorian government said that Cuban Ambassador Basilio Gutierrez and his staff were not welcome. The diplomats had 48 hours to leave the capital, Quito.
Ecuador said that international diplomatic rules let countries kick out foreign diplomats at any time. Officials did not give a full explanation for their choice. The move made things between the 2 countries much worse.
Cuba Criticizes Ecuador’s Decision In The Middle Of Regional Tensions
Cuba’s foreign minister strongly criticized Ecuador’s choice to send its diplomatic mission home. In a post on social media, he called the move “arbitrary and unjustified.” Cuban officials think the choice was made because the US put more pressure on the country.
There is a diplomatic dispute going on at the same time as political tensions are rising in some parts of Latin America. Some leaders in the region have closely followed Washington’s policies toward Cuba. Havana says that regional solidarity will eventually win out over political pressure.
