Cuba Faces Widespread Blackout Amid Energy Grid Struggles

On Friday night, Cuba plunged into darkness as a massive power outage left over 10 million without electricity. The outage, due to a failure at the Diezmero substation, highlights Cuba's aging infrastructure and energy challenges. Restoration efforts are underway, but no timeline for full recovery has been given.

A major power outage griped Cuba on Friday night, plunging the entire island into darkness and affecting over 10 million people. The blackout, one of the country's most severe in recent years, underscores the persistent challenges posed by Cuba's aging energy grid and ongoing economic struggles.

The Ministry of Energy and Mines attributed the outage to a critical failure at the Diezmero substation in western Cuba, which led to a widespread collapse of the National Electric System. "At around 8:15 pm tonight, a failure at the Diezmero substation caused a significant loss of generation in the west of Cuba and with it, the failure of the National Electric System," stated the ministry, assuring that work to restore power is underway, though no timeline has been provided.

Scenes from Havana depicted near-total darkness, with residents relying on electric torches and mobile phone flashlights to navigate the streets. The blackout exacerbates Cuba's deepening energy crisis, marked by outdated infrastructure and fuel shortages. Critics argue that the government's lack of modernization efforts has compounded these issues, alongside the impacts of longstanding US economic sanctions.

(With inputs from agencies.)