Massive power outage hits Cuba’s western region after transmission line fails

HAVANA (AP) — A blackout hit Havana and the rest of the western half of Cuba on Wednesday, leaving millions of people without power on an island struggling with chronic outages blamed on a crumbling electric grid.

Lázaro Guerra, general director of the Ministry of Energy and Mines, said the massive outage was caused by a failure on a transmission line that connects two major plants.

The power grid was operational once again by Wednesday afternoon, but the government warned that the restoration of electricity would not be immediate and that generation deficits persisted.

The nearly 12-hour blackout snarled activities in the capital and beyond.

In Havana, dozens of police officers tried to direct traffic while many students who were already in school were sent back home. Small businesses that have generators resumed their sales, especially of food. Some areas had intermittent internet service, so many residents were left wondering what had happened.

“There’s no connection. No one knows why the power is out. ... They’re not saying anything; it’s all silence,” grumbled Raúl Calderón, an 82-year-old retiree, as he waited to hear official reports on the radio.

The outage followed two days of peak-hour power shortages across the island.

A total blackout hit Cuba in September, with officials blaming ageing infrastructure and fuel shortages at power plants.

The ongoing outages also affect water service and impact the island’s fragile business sector.

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