Massive power outage hits Cuba’s western region after transmission line fails

HAVANA (AP) — A blackout hit Havana and the rest of the western half of Cuba on Wednesday, leaving millions of people without power on an island struggling with chronic outages blamed on a crumbling electric grid.

Lázaro Guerra, general director of the Ministry of Energy and Mines, said the massive outage was caused by a failure on a transmission line that connects two major plants. He said power would be restored gradually.

The outage followed two days of peak-hour power shortages across the island.

A total blackout hit Cuba in September, with officials blaming aging infrastructure and fuel shortages at power plants. The ongoing outages also affect water service and impact the island’s fragile business sector.

Cuba is going through a severe economic crisis that deepened during the coronavirus pandemic, which paralyzed the key tourism sector, and was exacerbated by an increase in U.S. sanctions and a failed internal financial reform to unify the currency.

The eastern half of Cuba also has been struggling with power outages after Hurricane Melissa slammed into that region in late October.