In Cuba, the restoration of electricity has begun after the second nationwide blackout in a week, impacting much of the island which is under U.S. oil sanctions. As of Sunday afternoon, power had been restored to two-thirds of Havana, signaling an urgent response to the widespread outage. This marks the seventh blackout in just a year and a half in a country that has struggled with aging infrastructure and inadequate energy production.

The Cuban electricity network is heavily reliant on eight outdated thermal power plants, some of which have been in operation for over 40 years. These plants experience frequent breakdowns and often require maintenance, leading to additional power outages. The Cuban government attributes the worsening situation to American sanctions that hinder the repair of this old infrastructure. However, many economists also point to a chronic underinvestment in the energy sector as a key factor in the power crisis.

Adding to the turmoil, oil deliveries from Venezuela, Cuba's primary supplier, have ceased for the past two months. The former Trump administration had threatened to impose sanctions that would further exacerbate Cuba's energy crisis. This confluence of factors highlights Cuba's ongoing struggle with energy security and its implications for daily life in a nation of ten million people.