News
Cuba Experiences Second Nationwide Blackout in a Week Amid Energy Crisis
Cuba's national power grid suffered a total disconnection on March 21, leaving over 10 million residents without power. This marks the third nationwide blackout this month amidst an ongoing energy crisis.
According to a statement from Cuba's Ministry of Energy and Mines, protocols for restoration are underway. The ministry shared the announcement on X. Cuba has been struggling with a severe energy crisis for over two years. The crisis is rooted in fuel shortages and the inadequate maintenance of aging power plants. Cuban officials attribute the repeated outages to tighter United States sanctions, including an oil blockade. A similar nationwide blackout occurred earlier in March, in addition to more localized outages. These failures have repeatedly overwhelmed Cuba's power generation capacity.
Key Facts
- Cuba experienced a nationwide blackout on March 21.
- The blackout is the third this month.
- Over 10 million people are without power, according to CNN.
- Cuba's Ministry of Energy and Mines confirmed a total disconnection of the national electric system.
- The energy crisis is underpinned by fuel shortages and aging power plants.
- Cuban officials blame United States sanctions for the outages.
- A similar blackout occurred earlier in March.
Primary Source
Research Sources
- Asian News International (ANI) — Cuba hit by second nationwide blackout in under a week amid deepening energy crisis