Cuba extends jet-fuel shortage warning as blackout hits most of the island
Published in News & Features
Cuba’s electrical grid collapsed again Wednesday afternoon, leaving several provinces without electricity.
Cuba’s state utilities company Union Electrica said the blackout was due to “a disconnection of the national power system” affecting provinces from Pinar del Rio in the east to Camagüey in central Cuba due to a breakdown in the Antonio Guiteras power station in the province of Matanzas.
Cuba’s crumbling power infrastructure has collapsed several times in the past two years, at times leaving the entire country without electricity. Residents in many parts of the country currently get by with just a few hours of electricity a day, a situation that has worsened after President Donald Trump pressed Venezuela, Mexico and others to stop supplying oil to Cuba to pressure the Cuban government to make reforms.
Last week, the Trump administration authorized the sale of U.S. oil to the Cuban private sector but not to the government, which still operates the energy infrastructure, including ports and gas stations.
The fuel shortage is so acute that on Wednesday, Cuba extended its earlier warning to airlines that the country has no jet fuel available at its international airports, including Havana’s Jose Marti International Airport. The warning, also published by the Federal Aviation Administration, is in place until April 10.
On Feb. 10, Cuban aviation authorities had issued a similar warning until March 11.
The energy crisis has now stretched for over three months, adding further strain to the island’s battered tourism sector. Several airlines, including Air Canada and Westjet, have suspended flights or adjusted their flight schedules. On Wednesday, Air France announced that it will suspend its flights to Havana from the end of March until at least mid-June due to the aviation fuel shortage in the country.
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