Cuba plunges into darkness as power grid collapses again

Cuba faced another nationwide blackout after its electricity grid failed, deepening an energy crisis tied to fuel shortages and U.S. sanctions.

The country's electricity grid collapsed late on Sunday, the state-owned grid operator said, plunging the island of about 10 million people into darkness as blackouts become increasingly frequent.

The outage followed three nationwide blackouts in July and came as a U.S.-imposed oil blockade put additional pressure on Cuba's ageing energy infrastructure.

The Union Electrica de Cuba announced the collapse in posts on X and Facebook but did not immediately provide further details on the cause, the scale of the disruption or the timing of restoration.

Pressure on the power system has mounted as Cuba struggles to secure fuel imports. The country lost a key source of fuel after an oil blockade imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump following Washington's ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on 3 January.

Venezuela had long been Cuba's primary oil supplier, while imports from Mexico have also halted amid increased U.S. pressure.

The crisis comes as Havana cautiously opens parts of its tightly controlled energy sector. Authorities recently approved the country's first foreign-backed fuel import venture and allowed nearly 200 Cuban businesses to participate in wholesale fuel distribution.

Read more:

• Cuba blackout: Third nationwide power failure in March as U.S. oil blockade deepens energy crisis
• Cuba's national electric grid collapses for the third time in July
• Cuba restores power grid as blackouts continue amid U.S. fuel blockade

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Cuba Cuba blackout Cuba electricity Power Grid energy crisis US sanctions Venezuela Oil