Cuba Hit by Island-Wide Blackout Leaving Millions in the Dark
With the country's power grid reported to be on the verge of a total collapse, millions of people were left without electricity due to US fuel restrictions and ongoing economic crises.
On Friday, a total collapse of Cuba's power grid was announced, leaving millions of people across the island without electricity. This marks the latest blackout across the island amid severe economic crises and US fuel restrictions.
Collapse of the Power Grid
On Friday, Cuba's power grid suffered yet another complete collapse, plunging millions of people across the island into darkness. The Ministry of Energy and Mines announced via its official X account that an island-wide blackout had occurred.
Source of the Fault and Weather Conditions
According to Cuban authorities, a fault occurred in transmission lines in the western part of the country, triggering a system failure that extended as far as Matanzas province. The official newspaper Granma reported that unstable weather conditions further worsened the state of the grid.
Restoration Efforts
By sunset in Havana, electricity had been restored to five percent of users, and small power distribution micro-islands began to be established in the provinces of Camagüey, Pinar del Río, and Granma.
US Embargo and Causes of the Crisis
Grid collapses have become increasingly common over the past two years due to the economic crisis. The US energy blockade prevents the importation of fuel required to operate thermal power plants and makes infrastructure maintenance difficult.
Impact of Outages on Daily Life
The outages have severely impacted the population, leading to transportation limitations and flight cancellations. Power cuts also negatively affect essential activities such as cooking, water supply, and internet and telephone services.