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Cuba is still without electricity in large parts of the country after the nationwide grid collapse

Cuba was largely left without electricity on Saturday morning, after the grid of the island collapsed overnight. This knocked out power for ten million people. It also raised new questions about the viability and age of the antiquated generation system.

At sunrise, island grid operator UNE reported that it was generating just a trickle - about 225 MW or less than 10% total demand. This is enough to cover vital services such as hospitals, water supply, and food production centres.

Officials have begun the process to restart the generation plants that are decades old, but they did not give a timeline for the restoration of service.

Cuba's grid collapsed Friday night around 8:15 p.m. (00:00 GMT), after an aging transmission line component at a Havana substation shorted. This triggered a chain of events that shut down all power generation on the island.

The grid collapse comes after a series of nationwide blackouts that occurred late last year, which plunged Cuba's fragile power generation system into near total disarray. Fuel shortages, natural catastrophes and economic crisis were all factors contributing to the breakdown.

Since months, most Cubans living outside of Havana are experiencing rolling blackouts. These have peaked to 20 hours per day in the last few weeks.

Havana was still without electricity in large parts on Saturday morning. There was light traffic at intersections without stoplights, and the cellular internet in some places was either weak or nonexistent.

Abel Bonne enjoyed the sea breeze with his friends early on Saturday morning, after a humid night without electricity.

He said, "No one knows right now when the electricity will be restored." This is the first time it has happened this year. Last year, this happened three times.

Cubans have fled the island in record numbers in recent years due to severe shortages of water, food and medicine.

Cuba's economic problems are attributed to a Cold War U.S. embargo on trade, as well as a complex web of laws and regulations which complicate financial transactions. It also blames the difficulty in acquiring essentials such fuel and spare parts.

On Saturday morning, a grid official said that Cuba was unable to upgrade antiquated transmission components and generation equipment due to the restrictions.

Donald Trump, the U.S. president, tightened sanctions against the communist-run island government and promised to restore "tough" policies toward this longtime U.S. enemy.

Yunior Reyes was a Havana bike taxi driver who returned to work Saturday morning, despite the blackout. He worried that his food supplies might spoil due to the heat of the day.

He said, "We are all in the exact same situation." "It is a lot to do." (Reporting and editing by Susan Fenton; Additional reporting by Nelson Acosta, Anett Rios, and Dave Sherwood)

(source: Reuters)