Cuba restores power grid and resumes planned blackouts of 5 hours a day
After a nationwide blackout left millions without electricity for several hours in Cuba, the power grid has been restored, authorities said, adding that scheduled power outages will now resume
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.After a nationwide blackout left millions without electricity for several hours in Cuba, the power grid was restored Thursday, authorities said, adding that scheduled power outages will now resume.
The latest blackout, the third one of this severity in less than two months, occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, after a breakdown at a thermoelectric plant in Matanzas province, east of Havana. The incident triggered a chain reaction, overwhelming an already strained power system.
On Thursday, classes and work activities gradually returned to normal.
As for the scheduled power outages, Cuban authorities said they will continue their current practice of implementing daily, five-hour power outages by block or zone as they have been doing for the past few months.
On Oct. 18, the island suffered a significant blackout that, added to the passage of Hurricane Oscar two days later, left the island without electricity for several days.
Weeks later, Hurricane Rafael’s strong winds triggered another system-wide blackout that left the national energy system disconnected again.
Cuba’s power grid has been plagued by frequent outages in recent months, with more than half of the country experiencing power cuts during peak hours. The outages are primarily caused by fuel shortages and aging infrastructure. In many parts of the island, electricity is crucial for cooking and water pumping.
____
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america