Cuba Struggles to Restore Electricity After Major Nationwide Grid Failure
Nationwide Blackout Leaves Millions Without Power
By Dave Sherwood and Ayose Naranjo
Extent and Impact of the Blackout
HAVANA, July 7 (Reuters) - Cuba struggled on Tuesday to restore power after its national grid collapsed the day before, leaving millions still without electricity across the Caribbean island nation.
Unexplained Causes and Previous Incidents
Authorities have yet to fully explain the cause of the Monday blackout — the third to affect the country this year — which left an already exhausted population of nearly 10 million people in the dark overnight.
Restoration Efforts and Regional Status
The country`s grid operator UNE said early on Tuesday it had reconnected central Cuba to the grid, from the western port of Mariel to Sancti Spiritus province, but that the eastern and western extremes of the island remained offline.
Power Restoration in Havana
About one-third of the capital Havana had seen power restored on Tuesday morning, though large swaths were still without electricity and power was spotty even where it had been restored.
International Context and Political Tensions
US Sanctions and Their Effects
The latest grid collapse comes as the United States has vastly ratcheted up pressure on Cuba, cutting off the island`s fuel supply and applying severe sanctions in a bid by the Trump administration to force a change in Cuba`s communist-run government.
Cuban and UN Response
Cuba and the United Nations have called the Trump administration measures illegal and a violation of the human rights of the island`s residents.
(Reporting by Dave Sherwood and Ayose Naranjo in Havana; Editing by Andrea Ricci )