Ministry of Energy and Mines of Cuba announced a second nationwide power outage in less than a week as the country’s electricity grid continues to face severe strain linked to U.S. oil restrictions.
In a statement posted on X and cited by Le Figaro, the ministry confirmed that the national power system experienced a total blackout, adding that restoration efforts are currently underway.
Officials said the outage, the seventh major incident in about 18 months, began at 6:45 p.m. local time.
The disruption follows a previous nationwide blackout that lasted more than 24 hours on March 16 and 17, highlighting the scale of the crisis facing the island nation of about 9.6 million people.
The Cuban government has blamed U.S. sanctions for limiting its ability to repair and upgrade its aging power infrastructure.
Economists also point to years of underinvestment in the energy sector as a key factor.
At the same time, oil shipments from Venezuela, Cuba’s main supplier, have been halted for more than two months.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has also warned of possible sanctions on countries exporting oil to Cuba.
The repeated outages underscore deep structural challenges in Cuba’s energy system and raise concerns about the country’s ability to maintain a stable electricity supply.
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