Cuba’s energy grid collapsed late Sunday, the state-owned electricity utility announced on social media, plunging the Caribbean country into yet another nationwide blackout.

US Oil Blockade

The US continues to impose an oil blockade that is testing the country’s aging energy infrastructure. Cuba has struggled to import fuel since the US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January, Havana’s closest ally.

The rolling blackouts this summer have proved increasingly difficult for locals, many of whom are forced to wake up in the middle of the night and cook, wash, use the internet, and cool-off during the hot summer months, unsure of how many hours electricity will last.

Economic Reforms

US pressure has slowly pushed Havana into making some economic reforms. Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruzden in July announced the government had approved the first foreign investment venture to import and sell fuel.

Original reporting: KRDO (Colorado Springs metro) — read the source article.