Cuba’s power grid was cut again early Saturday, state media reported, causing the entire country to experience a second blackout just hours after authorities announced they had begun restoring electricity service.
CubaDebate, one of the island’s state-run media outlets, said Cuba’s electricity grid operator, UNE, had reported at 6:15 a.m. ET a “complete shutdown of the national electro-energy system.”
“The Electrical Association is working to rebuild it,” the text message said.
Cuba’s power grid first went offline around midday on Friday after one of the island’s largest power plants went offline, suddenly leaving more than 10 million people without power.
On Friday evening, several Canadian companies that take tourists to Cuba, including Air Transat and Sunwing, said the power outage was not a problem for their operations.
Air Canada, in an emailed statement Saturday morning, said the airport and hotel had been using generators since the outage began. “We have no flights to or from Cuba today,” he said.
Global Affairs Canada said it was “closely monitoring” the situation and would provide consular assistance to Canadians who need it.
Workers, students sent home
Even before the power grid went out, Friday’s power shortage had forced Cuba’s communist government to send home non-essential state workers and cancel school classes for children as it sought to conserve fuel for power generation.
But lights began to come on in spots scattered across the island on Friday afternoon, giving hope that power would be restored.
The power grid operator has not provided any details about what caused the power grid to go offline again on Saturday, or how long it will take to restore service.
The Cuban government blamed weeks of worsening power outages – often 10 to 20 hours a day in most areas of the island – on deteriorating infrastructure, fuel shortages and rising demand.
The storm made fuel deliveries difficult
The strong winds that started with Hurricane Milton last week also complicated the island’s ability to ship scarce fuel from ships offshore to supply power plants, officials said.
Fuel shipments to Cuba have declined significantly this year, as Venezuela, Russia and Mexico, once major suppliers, have reduced their exports to Cuba.
Its main ally, Venezuela, halved shipments of subsidized fuel to Cuba this year, forcing the country to look elsewhere for oil that is much more expensive on the spot market.
The Cuban government also blames the US trade embargo, as well as sanctions imposed under President Donald Trump, for ongoing difficulties in obtaining fuel and spare parts to operate and maintain its oil-fired power plants.
The United States on Friday denied any involvement in Cuba’s power grid collapse.
