The Russian oil tanker Anatoli Kolodkin maneuvers in March in Matanzas Bay, Cuba. The vessel marked the island's only oil shipment this year. Cuba was again dealing with a nationwide blackout Monday amid continued issues with its aging electrical grid and a lack of fuel. Photo by stringer/EPA
July 6 (UPI) -- Cuba was dealing with another national blackout Monday, its third since the beginning of the year, the country's state energy company said.
The country's energy crisis, already a major issue, has worsened since an oil blockade imposed by the United States. The Cuban energy company said the electrical grid suffered a total collapse and that it is investigating the cause and working to restore power, CNN reported.
The country's energy infrastructure, which includes mostly Soviet-era plants, is aging, and the blockade means there is a lack of fuel with which to run generators to support the electrical grid, The Guardian reported. Even before this blockade, blackouts have been common for years.
Now, the blockade and sanctions have reduced conditions in Cuba to a point where access to essential services such as education and medicine, and even food and water, are suffering.
