Cuba plunged into darkness as electrical grid suffers fresh collapse

Cuba’s energy grid has collapsed, leaving millions without power, the latest in a series of failures for an island struggling from creaking infrastructure and a string of natural disasters.

Cuba’s energy grid has collapsed, leaving millions without power, the latest in a series of failures on an island struggling from creaking infrastructure, natural disasters and economic turmoil. The state-run utility company, the Cuban Electric Union, said workers were attempting to get the grid back online but local officials warned residents the difficult process of restoring power to aging Soviet-era power stations could take days. Cuba’s top energy producer, the Antonio Guiteras power plant in Matanzas, suffered an overnight failure, prompting the grid’s collapse on Wednesday, the company said. It was not clear early Wednesday if work places or schools would be open as Cubans woke to news that their island was once again in the dark. For nearly a week in October most of Cuba suffered near-total blackouts, the worst energy outages in decades. The island’s government blames US economic sanctions for the ongoing crisis on the island although critics also fault a lack of government investment in infrastructure.