Havana: Cuba was plunged into darkness on Wednesday as a grid failure left around 10 million people without electricity, marking the fifth nationwide blackout in under a year.
Authorities confirmed a “total disconnection” of the national power system, adding that emergency crews were working to restore electricity. The country’s antiquated power plants, many operating for more than three decades, have repeatedly struggled to meet demand amid worsening fuel shortages.
Earlier this week, an outage left Cuba’s eastern provinces in the dark for hours, adding to frustrations already fueled by severe shortages of food, fuel, and other essentials. Many Cubans have been forced to cook with charcoal or firewood, while schools and workplaces have faced periodic shutdowns due to electricity cuts.
The crisis has been compounded by dwindling oil imports and tightening U.S. sanctions, which have hindered Cuba’s ability to purchase fuel or repair its aging infrastructure. With blackouts sparking rare public protests, the country faces mounting pressure to stabilize its fragile energy grid.