Cuba experiences a nationwide blackout on Monday after a total collapse of its electric grid, according to Cuban energy authorities. The national grid operator and the Ministry of Energy and Mines say they are investigating the cause and working to restore electricity across the island. Authorities later report that power is gradually restored in large parts of the country during Tuesday and becomes fully restored by early Wednesday, after the third nationwide blackout of the year and the second major island-wide blackout within a week.
Multiple outlets link the crisis to ongoing fuel shortages affecting power generation. Reports describe Cuba’s aging and deteriorating infrastructure and the difficulty restoring the grid due to limited low-fuel supplies. Several sources also attribute the fuel shortage to a de facto US fuel blockade that restricts oil shipments, framed by outlets as pressure related to ending decades of communist rule.
Officials warn that restoration does not guarantee long-term relief, as the underlying electricity production shortfall persists, leaving the possibility of additional blackouts. The grid outage leaves the entire island, home to about 9.6 million people, without power from the time it goes offline at noon Monday.
