Millions of residents in Cuba were left without electricity after the country’s national power grid suffered a major collapse on Monday, according to the state operator UNE. The outage affected most parts of the island, marking another serious disruption in an ongoing energy crisis.
Authorities said efforts are underway to gradually restore power across provinces and major cities, although the process remains slow and unstable. This latest blackout adds to a series of nationwide outages that have become increasingly frequent in recent years.
The situation is largely driven by persistent fuel shortages. The country depends heavily on imported oil to generate electricity, but supplies have sharply declined. Previously, Venezuela provided a significant share of Cuba’s fuel needs, estimated at around half of total consumption. However, those shipments have stopped, worsening the crisis.
Pressure has also intensified from the United States, which has taken steps to restrict oil deliveries to the island. President Donald Trump has warned of economic measures against countries supplying fuel to Cuba, further limiting access to energy resources.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel confirmed that no oil shipments have reached the country for several months, leaving the power system under severe strain. Combined with aging infrastructure and limited maintenance, the national grid has become highly vulnerable to breakdowns.
The repeated outages have had a significant impact on daily life, disrupting essential services, businesses, and households. Public frustration has grown steadily, with blackouts becoming a major source of discontent across the country.
In recent days, protests linked to high living costs and persistent electricity cuts have been reported in several areas, including the city of Morón. In one incident, demonstrators stormed a local Communist Party building following a rally over economic conditions.
Despite the tensions, discussions between Havana and Washington have reportedly begun in an attempt to ease the crisis. However, uncertainty remains high as the country continues to face one of its most severe energy shortages in years.
A resident of Havana described the situation as increasingly normal, saying the latest blackout came as no surprise and that many people are now привыкing to life with constant power cuts.
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