The Latin American Report # 389

Another one. At around 2:08 a.m. this Wednesday, all of Cuba was turned off immediately after the abrupt shutdown of the country's main thermoelectric plant, located in the western province of Matanzas. This is the third national blackout in less than two months. While it is true that the second one was due to the untimely and merciless entry of Hurricane Rafael, the root causes of the sustained crisis of the Cuban electric power system are both the decrepit state of the thermal generation infrastructure and the lack of foreign currency to acquire fuels. Venezuela—a reliable supplier for the first two decades of this century—has problems, as it is paying debts with its oil. Countries like Russia or Mexico can announce—especially after catastrophes like today's—some express, emergency mode shipment of crude oil, but the contingency is permanent. The power generation network is so fragile that it is incapable of delivering energy to half of the country during peak demand hours.

The government is moving forward with a plan to install infrastructure for renewable sources. It remains to be seen how concrete it will be and how much it will help to alleviate, let alone overcome, the crisis. The latter is worsened because of Washington's scourge. Any oil-based relationship with Cuba exposes potential suppliers or carriers to the all-encompassing sanctioning arm of the U.S. Treasury Department. A complex web of coercive measures sometimes places insurmountable obstacles to obtaining foreign currency or operating with the dollar. This sanctions regime is so comprehensive that it comfortably exceeds the repercussions of the unfair inclusion of Cuba in the SSOT list. By late Wednesday, electricity service was gradually being restored from the creation of “generation islands” that conduct energy to turn on the thermal plants critical for the operation of the system.

_Source

Meanwhile, in another nation hit by an energy crisis, albeit due to other factors and surely not as severe as the Cuban one 👇

The Trump effect is still very active in Mexico

Timing of actions is key in political analysis. Donald Trump's threat last week to apply 25% tariffs on Mexican products, unless the Aztec government successfully tackled problems such as fentanyl trafficking or irregular migration, has had a clear effect. What is happening enhances Trump's position even without sitting again at the Resolute desk. Incidentally, it would show that the Mexican authorities could be doing more against the referred problems before being threatened with tariffs. Aztec security forces announced late Tuesday “the biggest catch” of fentanyl—about 1,100 kilograms—in the state of Sinaloa. “It is clear that the Mexican government has been managing the timing of fentanyl seizures,” said to Reuters a security expert. It was also learned that authorities detained some 5,200 migrants in a single day, as they toughened their stance on the caravans of migrants—traveling dehydrated or with sores in some cases—moving north to feel safer. Some migrants say they would stay in Tapachula if Sheinbaum would guarantee security and employment, elusive dynamics both in southern Mexico.

_Source

And this is all for our report today. I have referenced the sources dynamically in the text, and remember you can learn how and where to follow the LATAM trail news by reading my work here. Have a nice day.