Millions of people across Cuba experienced a total loss of electricity on Friday as the island nation suffered yet another massive power failure. The country's energy ministry confirmed that the national grid experienced a complete collapse, plunging the entire territory into darkness.
Grid operator UNE reported that electricity began returning to essential locations by late Friday night, focusing heavily on critical sites in Havana such as hospitals and municipal water pumps. Felix Estrada, the national load dispatch director for UNE, explained that technicians immediately initiated safety protocols to bring power back online step by step, with restoration efforts continuing into Saturday.
The disruption began shortly before two o'clock in the afternoon local time. According to the grid operator, the incident was triggered by a combination of severe weather conditions in the central region of the country and a sudden transmission line failure.
Friday's shutdown marks at least the sixth time this year that Cuba has faced a partial or total collapse of its electrical grid. The island's power network is heavily dependent on imported fuel, which has become severely restricted due to tightening US economic measures and oil shipment blockades implemented this year.
The compounding energy shortage has rippled through daily life, leading to the closure of schools and government offices. Medical facilities are struggling to maintain normal operations, while food and medicine have grown increasingly difficult to find.
Residents in the capital voiced deep frustration over the relentless cycle of utilities failing. Local inhabitants described spending entire days without power, only for service to briefly return before cutting out once again. Citizens noted that the blackouts have intensified from occasional inconveniences into a persistent reality that affects access to water, cooking gas, and light.
The ongoing energy crisis has previously sparked uncommon demonstrations on the island, where unsanctioned public protests are prohibited and carry the risk of imprisonment.
The Cuban government attributes the crippling fuel shortages entirely to Washington's pressure campaign, condemning a fresh wave of sanctions introduced in August. The administration in Havana has lost a crucial source of energy imports following the disruption of supplies from Venezuela, which previously provided a significant share of the island's daily oil requirements before its own shipments were halted earlier in the year.
Washington has intensified its stance through threats of tariffs against any nations attempting to deliver oil to Cuba, alongside the interception of several fuel tankers by the United States. Meanwhile, US officials reject responsibility for the humanitarian toll, arguing that the island's economic difficulties stem from domestic mismanagement. The White House has also labeled Cuba a national security concern while openly discussing objectives to alter the nation's leadership.
Reporting based on coverage first published by BBC News. Read the original report at BBC News.
