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Cuba faces mounting strain as power cuts worsen amid US oil blockade
Electricity has gone out after grid collapses three times in 10 days, leaving Havana residents reporting that blackouts limit water pumping and phone charging.
Tensions in Cuba have increased as the US blockade continues, compounding an already deteriorating electricity system, the Guardian Business reports. The country recently experienced grid collapses again, with the national system failing for the third time in 10 days on Tuesday.
The article describes Cuba sweltering during a six month oil blockade imposed by the United States as part of a pressure campaign. It notes that summer temperatures are in the mid 30s Celsius with humidity around 80 percent, and it links rising public frustration to both nationwide blackouts and frequent local power outages.
Citing a resident in Havana, the report says electricity returns only sporadically and that an hour without power is not enough to run water pumps or recharge phones. It also quotes Cuba’s energy minister, Vicente de la O Levy, saying the government has a total absence of fuel and lacks access to spare parts for its thermoelectric units.
The outlet adds that the broader context includes intensified US actions, including sanctions aimed at Cuba’s industries, alongside heightened political rhetoric from Washington related to neighboring Venezuela. The report frames the situation as moving Cuba closer to a possible infrastructure breakdown as outages become more entrenched.