Cuba faces island-wide blackout as power grid fails
Cuban officials say the country is experiencing an island-wide blackout amid a worsening of its energy and economic issues.
In a post on X, Cuba’s energy ministry said it was investigating a “complete disconnection” of the electrical grid. On Friday, President Miguel Díaz-Canel said Cuba had not received oil imports for more than 90 days. Díaz-Canel said the country had switched to solar power and other alternative energy, The Associated Press reported.
About a week earlier, residents in the western part of the country suffered from a widespread blackout, leaving millions in the dark.
Cuban officials blamed a U.S. oil blockade for the country’s energy crisis. In January, President Donald Trump threatened that he would place tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba. Venezuela was providing as much as half of Cuba’s oil before January, when U.S. forces captured President Nicolas Maduro.
Díaz-Canel said on Friday that U.S. and Cuban officials began discussions about ending the blockade. However, President Donald Trump has recently said Cuba is about to collapse and was ready to make a deal with the U.S., the Independent reported.
The ongoing Cuban energy crisis has led to protests in the country. On Saturday, protestors in Cuba damaged a Communist Party building after a rally over blackouts and food costs. Authorities arrested at least five people in Morón, Cuba, after they said protestors damaged offices there.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
