Cuba hit by island-wide blackout after power plant failure

Cuba's national electrical grid shut down on Friday after a failure of one of the country's major power plants, its Energy Ministry said.

The Antonio Guiteras power plant went offline shortly before midday on Friday, causing a total grid failure and leaving around 10 million people without power.

What did Cuban officials say about the blackout?

"There will be no rest until (power) is restored," Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on X.

Officials said by mid-afternoon they had begun taking steps to restore power but that the process would take time.

Before the total failure, authorities had already canceled non-vital government services amid electricity shortages. Schools, universities and recreational and cultural activities were also shut.

Officials said that Cuba had been struggling to deliver fuel from boats offshore to its power plants due to strong winds that began with Hurricane Milton.

The hurricane also caused considerable damage in the United States, which US President Joe Biden estimated at $50 billion (€45.98) last week.

Cuba blames US embargo for energy woes

On Thursday, Diaz-Canel also blamed the situation on the US trade embargo and new sanctions imposed under former President Donald Trump's administration.

"The complex scenario is caused primarily by the intensification of the economic war and financial and energy persecution of the United States," Diaz-Canel said on X.

Also on Thursday, Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marro acknowledged that the situation had "worsened" but said that there was an expected influx of fuel supply from Cuba's state-owned oil company.

He said that the government was also considering changing electricity rates for small- and medium-sized companies, which were first authorized in 2021.

Cuba's largest oil supplier, Venezuela, has also reduced shipments to the island due to a wave of fuel scarcity in the South American country.

sdi/rm (AP, Reuters, EFE)