Cuba suffers nationwide power outage, plunging millions into darkness

HAVANA (Cuba): Cuba was plunged into darkness on Friday night as a nationwide power outage left more than 10 million people without electricity, marking one of the most severe blackouts the country has faced in recent years, CNN reported.

The failure, which impacted homes, businesses, and public infrastructure across the island, underscored Cuba’s ongoing struggles with an aging energy grid and persistent economic challenges.

The Ministry of Energy and Mines confirmed that the outage was caused by a major failure at the Diezmero substation, located in western Cuba, which triggered a widespread collapse of the National Electric System.

“Around 8.15 pm tonight, a failure at the Diezmero substation caused a significant loss of generation in the west of Cuba and with it the failure of the National Electric System”, the ministry said in a statement. Officials assured that efforts to restore service were underway, though no estimated timeframe was provided for when full power would be restored, reported CNN.

Widespread blackouts reported in Cuba caused by breakdown of nationwide electrical grid

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Scenes from Havana, captured on video by CNN, showed the capital city in near-total darkness, with residents navigating pitch-black streets using electric torches and mobile phone flashlights.

This latest blackout adds to Cuba’s worsening energy crisis, as the country struggles with outdated infrastructure, ongoing fuel shortages, and the impact of natural disasters. The government has frequently attributed these challenges to decades-long US economic sanctions, which were tightened under US President Donald Trump.

However, critics argue that the Cuban government’s failure to modernise its infrastructure has played a significant role in the continued instability of the energy grid, CNN reported.

Cuba has faced repeated power outages in recent years, with one of the worst occurring in October, when most of the island endured nearly a week of near-total blackouts. (ANI)