Cuba plunged into darkness on Monday as a nationwide blackout affected approximately 10 million people. The island-wide power outage was caused by a deepening energy crisis that has been straining the country's fragile power system.
The blackout was described as a "total disconnection of the National Electric Power System" by Cuba's state-run Electric Union. Authorities have begun investigating the causes of the outage, which has left the country in a state of uncertainty.
Cuba has been experiencing increasingly frequent power outages in recent years due to chronic fuel shortages and deteriorating electrical grids. The crisis worsened when additional sanctions were imposed by a foreign government in January, threatening tariffs on countries that provide oil to the island.
During the blackout, public transportation was largely halted, and officials reported that tens of thousands of surgeries were canceled nationwide. Authorities later said one generating unit had resumed operations roughly two hours after the collapse.
Energy officials are working to restore power, while accusing the foreign government of contributing to Cuba's energy struggles. "Vital services continue to be protected, amidst this complex situation exacerbated by the energy blockade we face," said the energy minister.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel also blamed the foreign government's policies, describing the energy blockade as a "genocidal" measure. "While the U.S. tries to induce a social explosion through asphyxiation by blocking fuel access to #Cuba, the UNE mobilizes to reverse the SEN outage," Díaz-Canel said.
Cuba's energy crisis intensified earlier this year after a military operation captured a key oil supplier, cutting off a vital source of fuel for the island. The country has been forced to conserve fuel by imposing scheduled power outages, which have lasted more than 24 consecutive hours in some areas.
A separate blackout in early March affected Cuba's western provinces, while a separate outage in mid-March plunged the entire island into darkness. A Russian tanker delivered a much-needed supply of oil to the country in March, but the fuel was depleted by the end of April.
The Cuban government is working to restore power while navigating the complex situation exacerbated by the energy blockade. The country's energy minister emphasized the importance of protecting vital services amidst the crisis.
