Nationwide Blackouts Hit Cuba After National Grid Collapses

Cuba’s national electrical system collapsed early Wednesday after the country’s biggest power plant failed, in one of the latest episodes in a series of grid failures. The Antonio Guiteras power plant in Matanzas, Cuba’s highest electricity producer, had broken down around 2 am, causing the power shutdown, according to the Cuban government.

Cuba’s aging oil-fueled plants, struggling to keep up with power demands, faced a crisis this year with dwindling imports of oil from Venezuela, Russia, and Mexico. That has led to multiple blackouts across the island this month.

The power failure left Havana almost completely dark, as only a few large hotels and government buildings were lit. According to reports on social media, the island is reported to be blacked out. The government has not, however, confirmed the extent of the outage.

The Ministry of Energy and Mines said they are striving to restore the electrical system. Cuba’s grid has suffered similar collapses in October, fueled by fuel shortages and Hurricane Oscar, and again in November with Hurricane Rafael.