Islandwide blackout hits Cuba as it struggles with deepening energy crisis

HAVANA (AP) — Officials in Cuba reported an islandwide blackout Monday in the country of some 11 million people as its energy and economic crises deepen and its power grid continues to crumble.

The Ministry of Energy and Mines on X noted a “complete disconnection” of the country’s electrical system and said it was investigating, noting there were no failures in the units that were operating when the grid collapsed.

Lázaro Guerra, the ministry’s electricity director, told state media late Monday that crews were trying to restart several thermoelectric plants, which are key to restoring power.

“It must be done gradually to avoid setbacks,” he said. “Because systems, when very weak, are more susceptible to failure.”

It was the third major blackout in Cuba over the past four months.

Tomás David Velázquez Felipe, a 61-year-old resident of Havana, said the relentless outages make him think that Cubans who can should just pack up and leave the island. “What little we have to eat spoils,” he said. “Our people are too old to keep suffering.”

By Monday night, state-owned media reported that crews had restored power to 5% of Havana’s residents, representing some 42,000 customers, as well as several hospitals across the island. Officials said they would prioritize the communications sector next, all while warning that the small circuits restored so far could fail again.

Cuba’s aging grid has d...