Cuba's 6th Nationwide Blackout This Year Restored After 36 Hours

Central Message

(Central News Agency, Havana, April 4 -综合 foreign media reports) Cuba's national power company announced today that electricity grids across the country have been restored after a 36-hour nationwide blackout.

According to AFP, Cuban authorities have struggled to resume operations at power generation facilities and connecting lines, facing six nationwide blackouts this year alone, along with frequent localized outages.

Carlos Garcia, a 57-year-old tricycle taxi driver, said, "This is the new normal: the system collapses, they fix it, and then it breaks again. We never have electricity anyway—even when the grid isn't down, it makes no difference to me."

This communist nation of approximately 10 million people faces an energy crisis due to deteriorating infrastructure and stringent U.S. energy blockade measures.

Most Cubans have access to electricity for only a few hours per day, making normal life difficult. Whenever power is lost, everything from water pumps to electric fans stops working.

Old Havana was plunged into darkness last night, with residents standing on balconies or leaning out of windows, banging pots and pans in protest for about an hour.

Bruno Rodriguez, Cuba's foreign minister, posted on social media today blaming the crisis on U.S. blockade actions, stating they not only "hinder free fuel imports but also block component imports... obstruct cooperation with experts from other countries, and impede access to international financing."

The U.S., however, attributes the crisis to mismanagement of the economy by Cuba's communist government. (Translation: Lu Ying-zi) 1150805