A new breakdown left eastern Cuba without electricity supplyannounced on Saturday by the state energy company, in the midst of a deep crisis on the island, subjected to an oil blockade by Washington for nine months.
According to the Electrical Union of Cuba (UNE), a failure in a line between the town of Nuevitas and the province of Las Tunas caused “a partial disconnection of the national electrical service in the eastern zone” of the country.
The company did not specify how many provinces were affected by this new blackout.
Cuba, with 9.4 million inhabitants, suffers from recurring electricity outages and the population faces scheduled blackouts that can last up to 20 hours a day. These interruptions also affect water supply and telephone communications.
On the one hand, thermoelectric plants are old and suffer frequent breakdowns or require long periods of maintenance. On the other hand, the imposition since January by the United States of a de facto oil blockade has complicated the supply of fuel necessary to operate backup generators.
Since the beginning of the year, Cuba has recorded seven total collapses of its electrical network and a dozen since the end of 2024, published the AFP.
According to the electricity company, fuel shortages make the system more vulnerable to breakdowns and delay restoration efforts by preventing the use of emergency generators.
For two years, the government has been promoting an extensive program to install solar parks, with support from China. According to official figures, renewable energies currently represent 21% of the country’s energy matrix.
Relations between the United States and Cuba have deteriorated considerably since the beginning of the year, especially after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, an ally of Havana.
The American president, Donald Trump, considers that the communist-ruled island, located 150 kilometers off the coast of Florida, represents “an extraordinary threat” to the national security of the United States. Also He has warned on several occasions that he could “take control” of Cuba.
