Millions of people in Cuba have been left without power after a major blackout struck the western half of the island nation, including the capital Havana. The Ministry of Energy and Mines reported a disconnection in the National Electric System (SEN), affecting areas from Pinar del Rio in the east to Camaguey in the central region.
Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy said crews are working to restore power amid a complex energy situation. This is the second such outage in three months, following a national grid collapse in December. The latest blackout occurred after a fault at the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Plant in Matanzas, though the exact cause remains unclear.
Cuba's power system relies on large thermoelectric plants that require crude oil. The country produces only about half of its crude needs and must import the rest, a challenge compounded by US sanctions. Recent US actions, including an attack on Venezuela in early January that halted oil shipments, have exacerbated the crisis. President Donald Trump also threatened tariffs on any country supplying Cuba with oil.
Last month, Cuba implemented austere fuel-saving measures and warned that jet fuel would be unavailable at nine airports until mid-March. Even before the Venezuela attack, the island was grappling with a crumbling electric grid, generation deficits, and fuel supply interruptions.
