Cuba experiences a second nationwide power outage amidst escalating energy predicament
At 6:15 am, a complete failure of the national power grid occurred, as reported on the official Telegram channel of the Cuban Electric Union. The union is currently working to restore service.
Previously, Cuban authorities mentioned that small-scale power restorations had been made across the island, but they didn't provide specific figures on the number of individuals with their services restored.
Some Cuban residents shared complaints on social media, claiming their power was momentarily restored only to then shut off again.
The widespread outages pose a significant threat to push Cuba further into crisis, as without power, residents would also lose access to running water and perishable food would quickly spoil.
Over the past few days, millions of people have been left without electricity due to the frequent collapses of Cuba's aging power grid.
Saturday's blackout followed an island-wide shutdown of Cuba's electrical grid that occurred on Friday, following the failure of one of the island's major power plants, as stated by the country's energy ministry.
Cuban officials have attributed the power outages to a blend of factors, including increased U.S. economic sanctions, disruptions from recent hurricanes, and the deteriorated condition of the island's infrastructure.
During a televised address on Thursday, which was delayed by technical issues, Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz explained that many of the country's limited production facilities were halted to preserve power for the population.
"We have been controlling economic activity to produce (power) for the people," he said.
Cuba's health minister, José Angel Portal Miranda, confirmed on television that the country's health facilities were running on generators and that healthcare workers continued to provide crucial services.
In Havana, motorists struggled to navigate the city, where no street lights seemed to function and only a few police officers directed traffic. Generators are a scarcity for most Cubans, and those who could be heard operating in the city were few and far between.
School classes were canceled from Friday through the weekend, nightclubs and recreation centers were forced to close, and only "essential workers" were expected to report to their jobs, as per a list of energy-saving measures published by the state-run website Cubadebate on Friday.
CNN's Mia Alberti and CNN en Español's Verónica Calderón and Gerardo Lemos contributed to this report.
The power outages affect not just Cuba, but also pose challenges to various countries in the Americas, given the interconnected nature of the world's electrical grids. Despite the efforts of the Cuban Electric Union, millions of people across the world continue to experience the consequences of Cuba's power crisis.
