Cuba is experiencing islandwide blackouts as the country grapples with an economic and energy crisis, as its power grid crumbles. On X, the Ministry of Energy and Mines tweeted that there is a “complete disconnection” of the country’s electrical system and that it would be investigating the outages.
According to the Associated Press, Lazara Guerra, the ministry’s electricity director, told state media that crews are trying to reboot several thermoelectric plants, which are key to restoring power on the island.
“It must be done gradually to avoid setbacks,” Guerra stated. “Systems, when weak, are more susceptible to failure.”
This marks the third major blackout in Cuba in just four months. While the country is facing challenges with eroding infrastructure that have led to daily outages, Cuban officials are also blaming its problems on a U.S. energy blockade. President Donald Trump warned of tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba.
Cubans are in a tough spot. The Trump administration is demanding that leaders release political prisoners and move toward political and economic liberalization in return for lifting the sanctions. Even more worrisome is Trump’s calls for a “friendly takeover of Cuba.”
“I mean, whether I free it, take it. I could do anything I want with it,” Trump said on Monday about Cuba. He added that the island is a “very weakened nation.”
The Trump administration wants Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel to step down as the United States negotiates with the Cuban government about the island nation’s future, The New York Times reports.
Without reaching an agreement, Cuban residents will continue to struggle with power outages.
“We have to prepare a mattress for the girls here so that they can sleep here because we have no choice,” Yuneici Cecilia Riviaux told the Associated Press.
William LeoGrande, a professor at American University who has tracked Cuba for years, told the publication that the country’s energy grid has not been properly maintained. He added that the infrastructure is “way past its normal useful life.”
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