Another Nationwide Blackout Plaguing Cuba - First This Year

MEXICO CITY, March 17 (Bernama-dpa) –- Cuba has experienced another nationwide power outage, with the cause under investigation and work underway to restore power, the Ministry of Energy announced on Monday, reported German news agency (dpa).

It was the first island-wide blackout in Cuba since the beginning of the year.  A blackout just under two weeks ago had affected around two thirds of the Caribbean nation.

The country, which has a population of just under 10 million, suffers repeated total collapses of its power grid. Large parts of the outdated infrastructure in the socialist island state are in poor condition. As a result, power plants frequently go offline and have to be hastily repaired. 

The government attributes the crisis to the US trade embargo, which has been in place for more than 60 years.

The situation has worsened amid recent tensions between Cuba and the United States. 

For months, the country has been receiving no oil from Venezuela, after US President Donald Trump ordered a complete blockade on sanctioned oil tankers carrying deliveries from Cuba's South American ally. The country depends on oil for its power supply.

--BERNAMA-dpa