Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez has denounced that the power outages in the National Electric System (SEN) are a direct consequence of the genocidal U.S. blockade, particularly the energy embargo.
The island’s foreign minister condemned on his social media account that the energy blockade not only prevents the free import of fuel but also blocks the entry into the country of parts and components necessary for the SEN, impedes collaboration with experts from other nations, and hinders access to international financing.
The Cuban Electric Union (UNE) reported that the SEN was restored at 11:35 a.m. (local time) this Tuesday, after the outage on the afternoon of August 3, following a gradual reconnection process after an outage the previous day.
The National Electric Union (UNE) explained that the new outage occurred during the restoration process following severe weather events, which damaged the grid and directly affected the generating units that were online.
Similar incidents with the National Electric System (SEN) occurred three times in July, and on August 1, the system suffered a partial blackout, leaving several provinces in western and central Cuba, including Havana, virtually without electricity.
So far in 2016, the SEN has experienced six nationwide blackouts, according to reports from the National Electric Union, each lasting between five and eight hours to achieve the gradual reconnection of the affected provinces.
These outages negatively impact not only families but also businesses and all sectors of the Cuban economy.
Official data indicates that the power outages have required the implementation of restoration protocols, prioritizing hospitals, pumping systems, and essential services, while work continues to bring the remaining circuits back online.
Cuban Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, recently stated that the SEN outages are not due to operational failures, but rather to the current conditions facing the electrical grid as a result of the tightening of the U.S. embargo.