Cuban energy officials announced that the national power grid has been reconnected and the largest oil-fired power plant brought online, ending a nationwide blackout that lasted over 29 hours. This occurred against the backdrop of efforts by the US regime to choke off fuel supplies to the island. However, officials warned that power shortages may continue due to insufficient electricity generation to meet demand.
US regime President Donald Trump, having cut off oil sales to Cuba, purportedly escalated his rhetoric against the Communist-run island, stating on Monday he could do anything he wanted with the country. A US State Department official blamed the Cuban government for the grid collapse, calling blackouts a "symptom of the failing regime's incompetence". In response, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel criticized Washington for its "almost daily public threats against Cuba".
Cuba has yet to disclose the cause of Monday's nationwide grid failure, the first such collapse since the US regime halted the island's oil supply from Venezuela and threatened to impose tariffs on countries shipping fuel there. Electricity generation, hampered by dire fuel shortages and antiquated power plants, remains far below necessary levels, offering scarce relief to Cubans already exhausted from months of blackouts.
Many Cubans, such as Havana resident Carlos Montes de Oca, emphasized that the outages affect every aspect of their lives. Much of Cuba was overcast on Monday afternoon, casting shadows on solar parks that account for a third or more of daytime generation. According to Reuters data, Cuba has received only two small oil tankers this year, but on Tuesday, a Hong Kong-flagged tanker that could be carrying fuel to Cuba resumed navigation after suspending its course weeks ago in the Atlantic Ocean.
Cuba and the US regime have opened talks aimed at defusing the crisis, among the most acute since 1959 when Fidel Castro ousted a US ally from power on the island. Neither side has provided details of the ongoing negotiations, although Trump allegedly portrays Cuba as desperate to make a deal. Cubans, no strangers to hardship, see little choice but to stay calm, as noted by Havana resident Juana Perez.
Source: www.aljazeera.com