Cuba hit by island wide blackout as energy crisis deepens

"The Ministry of Energy and Mines on X noted a "complete disconnection" of the country's electrical system and said it was investigating. President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Friday said the island had not received oil shipments in more than three months and was operating on solar power, natural gas and thermoelectric plants."

"Cuba has blamed its woes on a U.S. energy blockade after President Donald Trump in January warned of tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to it. Critical oil shipments from Venezuela were halted after the U.S. attacked the South American country in early January and arrested its then-president, Nicolas Maduro."

"While Cuba produces 40% of its petroleum and has been generating its own power, it hasn't been sufficient to meet demand as its electric grid continues to crumble. On Friday, Diaz-Canel confirmed that Cuba was holding talks with the U.S. government as the problems continue to deepen."

Cuba reported a complete disconnection of its electrical system Monday affecting 11 million people as the nation's energy and economic crises intensify. The government attributes its problems to a U.S. energy blockade following Trump's January tariff warnings against countries providing oil to Cuba. Critical oil shipments from Venezuela ceased after U.S. actions in early January. Although Cuba produces 40% of its petroleum and operates solar power, natural gas, and thermoelectric plants, domestic production cannot meet demand as the electrical grid deteriorates. President Diaz-Canel reported no oil shipments in over three months and confirmed the government postponed surgeries for tens of thousands. A previous major outage affected western regions. Talks with the U.S. government are ongoing.

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