Cuba struggles to restore power grid after transmission line failure

(CLO) Cuba's capital Havana lost power for the second consecutive night on Saturday, as the country struggles to restore its power grid.

Cuba's power system went down Friday night after a transmission line at a Havana transformer station short-circuited, causing a chain reaction that knocked out the island's entire power generation system, officials said.

A street corner in Havana, Cuba. Photo: szeke

Grid operators have prioritized restoring power to essential services such as hospitals, water systems and food production centers.

Lazaro Guerra, Cuba's top electricity official, said he hoped both power plants would be restarted overnight, but warned that progress would be slow to avoid further problems.

Cuba's two largest cities, Havana in the west and Santiago de Cuba in the east, both struggled to restore power on Saturday, forcing the grid operator to restart from scratch.

This is the latest collapse of Cuba's national power grid, following a series of widespread blackouts late last year when an already weakened power generation system was overwhelmed by fuel shortages, natural disasters and the Western embargo.

In Havana, some hotels used generators to keep the lights on for tourists on Saturday night. However, street lights and traffic lights on major boulevards were off, residential areas were plunged into darkness, and most restaurants and bars were closed.

Cuba's Ministry of Transport announced that bus operations and domestic and international flights are operating normally despite the power grid failure.

Cuban authorities are currently racing against time to restore power, but with the grid in a state of prolonged weakness, many residents fear that incidents like this will continue.

Cao Phong (according to CNA, CNN)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/cuba-no-luc-khoi-phuc-luoi-dien-sau-su-co-truyen-tai-post338730.html