Cuba's power grid fails, bringing economy to a halt

About a year ago‚ Cuba experienced a total electrical system breakdown‚ paralyzing its economy. The Energy and Mining ministry reported a “total disconnection“ of the national power grid at 11:07 a.m‚ when the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric power plant in Matanzas suddenly shut down.

Prior to this‚ Cuban authorities had taken drastic steps to reduce energy use. They closed schools‚ government offices‚ and entertainment venues. Manuel Marrero the Prime Minister‚ stated on state-run TV “We have had to paralyze the economy to guarantee a minimum of electrical service“. He pointed to a severe fuel shortage as the cause.

Cuban officials said an oil tanker had reached the island about a week before the blackout‚ but couldnt dock for five days due to bad weather. The situation worsened when the countrys largest power plant‚ Antonio Guiteras stopped working.

Miguel Díaz-Canel the Cuban President wrote on X that the government was “giving absolute priority to solving the energy emergency“ and “would not rest until [power] is reestablished“. He blamed the US trade embargo saying that the “surging economic war and financial and energy persecution by the United States“ made it hard for Cuba to import oil and industry inputs.

Cuba has been facing its worst economic crisis in decades‚ due to:
- The US embargo and enhanced sanctions
- Inefficient policies of the Communist government
- Failure of the tourism industry to recover since the covid-19 pandemic

This lack of food and energy has driven hundreds of thousands of Cubans to migrate in recent years‚ and has sparked occasional protests

Cuba heavily depends on Venezuela for its oil. However‚ the socialist-run South American country is facing its own energy problems‚ and has cut supplies to the island. Cuba received an average of 32‚600 barrels a day in the first nine months of last year‚ around half the amount shipped in the same period of the previous year‚ according to Reuters news agency