Millions of Cubans still without power after third grid collapse

Millions of Cubans woke up Sunday to find themselves still without electricity following another partial grid failure, worsening an already critical situation in the country.

Lazaro Guerra, Cuba's top electricity official, confirmed that a grid collapse in the western provinces, including Havana, occurred late Saturday, leaving much of the region in the dark.

While technicians worked to resolve the issue, Guerra did not specify when power would be restored. As of Sunday morning, the capital city of nearly two million residents remained without electricity, with many people lining up for subsidized rations and contemplating the worsening situation.

State media outlet CubaDebate reported that the country's largest power plant, Antonio Guiteras, was back online Sunday, which would gradually contribute to restoring power. However, the third grid failure in just two days marked a major setback for the government's efforts to restore electricity to residents already struggling with shortages of food, medicine, and fuel, reported Reuters.

The crisis intensified as Hurricane Oscar approached northeastern Cuba early Sunday, packing winds of up to 100 miles per hour. Cuba's meteorological office warned of "an extremely dangerous situation" in the eastern region, where power and communication outages persisted ahead of the storm.

The national grid first collapsed on Friday after the shutdown of the island's largest power plant, causing chaos. Although some power had been restored on Saturday, another grid failure that evening plunged parts of the island back into darkness.

Tensions have been rising in response to the ongoing power crisis. Reuters reporters witnessed two small protests in Havana on Saturday night, while videos of other protests circulated on social media, although their authenticity could not be verified.

Internet access across Cuba sharply declined due to the power outages, according to data from internet monitoring group NetBlocks, making it difficult for residents to charge phones and go online.

The Cuban government has blamed the ongoing blackouts - some lasting 10 to 20 hours - on deteriorating infrastructure, fuel shortages, and increased demand. It also attributes difficulties in securing fuel and spare parts for its oil-fired plants to the US trade embargo and sanctions imposed under former President Donald Trump. The US has denied any responsibility for the grid failures.

Cuba's fuel supplies have been dwindling this year, as key allies like Venezuela, Russia, and Mexico have significantly reduced their exports. Venezuela, in particular, has slashed its shipments of subsidized fuel to Cuba by half, forcing the country to seek more expensive oil on the global market.