Cuba's power grid collapsed for the first time on Friday afternoon after the island's largest power plant shut down. Since then, the network has crashed three times.
The recurring power outages represent a major setback to the government's efforts to quickly restore power to exhausted residents, many of whom have been suffering from power outages for months.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, on Sunday evening, on state television, urged Cubans to exercise discipline during the power outage.
Power was completely cut off in the capital, Havana, on Sunday evening, and only a few scattered shops, bars and homes were running on fuel-powered generators. Calm prevailed in most parts of the city with a population of two million. A heavy police presence was seen in some areas of the city.
Energy and Mines Minister Vicente de la O Levy said Sunday that he acknowledges that the power outages are disturbing residents, but said the majority of Cubans understand and support the government's efforts to restore power.
Power was temporarily restored to 160,000 customers in Havana on Sunday, but the day took a turn for the worse in the late afternoon when authorities had to start over due to another complete grid collapse, threatening the risk of widespread power outages in Havana. Days to come.
Officials initially said power would be restored on Monday or Tuesday.
Internet traffic dropped significantly in Cuba over the weekend, as widespread power outages made it nearly impossible for most islanders to charge their phones and access the Internet, according to data from internet monitoring group NetBlocks.
The government has blamed deteriorating infrastructure, fuel shortages and increased demand for worsening power outages that have been ongoing for weeks. Cuba also blames the US trade embargo, as well as sanctions imposed by former President Donald Trump, for ongoing difficulties in obtaining fuel and spare parts to operate and maintain oil terminals. The United States denied any role in disrupting the network.
Reuters journalists saw several “Cacerolazos” demonstrations, common in Latin America, on the outskirts of Havana. Protesters, angry at the lack of food, water and electricity, blocked roads with piles of garbage in the poor neighborhood of San Miguel de Padrón on the outskirts of the city, before security forces dispersed them.
Cover image source: Nick Kaiser/picture Alliance via Getty Images
