Cuba working to reestablish electrical service after second grid collapse
Repeats with no change to headline or text
Grid collapse follows previous day's outage, affecting over 10 million people
Government blames blackouts on infrastructure, fuel shortages, and rising demand
U.S. trade embargo and sanctions cited as factors in fuel and parts shortages
By Dave Sherwood
HAVANA, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Cuba's government said it was working again to reestablish electrical service across the island after state-run media earlier on Saturday reported thenational grid had collapsed for a second time in 24 hours.
The country's top electricity official, Lazaro Guerra, said on a morning TV news program that another grid malfunction in western Cuba had forced technicians to begin anew connecting three important power plants to the system, temporarily stalling progress.
"I can not assure you that we will be able to complete linking the system today, but we are estimating that there should be important progress today," Guerra said.
Just prior to Guerra's statement, CubaDebate, one of the island'sstate-run media outlets, said the gridoperator, UNE, had reported a "total disconnection of the national electro-energetic system."
Guerra did not directly confirm the total collapse, leaving some confusion as to what exactly had taken place.
Cuba's electrical grid first failed around midday on Friday after one of the island`s largest power plants shut down, suddenly leaving more than 10 million without power.
Even before the grid's collapse, an electricity shortfall on Friday had forced Cuba's communist-run government to send non-essential state workers home and cancel school classes for children as it sought to conserve fuel for generation.
But lights began to flicker on in scattered pockets across the island early in the evening on Friday, offering some hope that power would be restored.
Cuba's government has blamed weeks of worsening blackouts - often 10 to 20 hours a day across much of the island - on deteriorating infrastructure, fuel shortages and rising demand.
Strong winds that began with Hurricane Milton last week had also complicated the island's ability to deliver scarce fuel from boats offshore to feed its power plants, officials have said.
Fuel deliveries to the island have dropped off significantly this year, as Venezuela, Russia and Mexico, once key suppliers, have reduced their exports to Cuba.
Key ally Venezuela slashed by half its deliveries of subsidized fuel to Cuba this year, forcing the island to search elsewhere for far more pricey oil on the spot market.
Cuba's government also blames the U.S. trade embargo, as well as sanctions under then-President Donald Trump, for ongoing difficulties in acquiring fuel and spare parts to operate and maintain its oil-fired plants.
The United States on Friday denied any role in the grid collapse in Cuba.
Reporting by Dave Sherwood in Havana; editing by Diane Craft
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