Cuba’s national power grid collapsed for the second time this week, leaving millions without electricity as the United States pushed for more pressure on Havana over its policies.
Cuban authorities, meanwhile, blamed fuel shortages and long-standing sanctions for worsening the island’s energy crisis.
The blackout on Friday was Cuba’s fourth nationwide grid failure this year. Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy said efforts were underway to restore the National Electric Power System, calling the situation difficult amid ongoing challenges.
The latest outage followed a nationwide blackout on Monday that cut power to Cuba’s population of about 10 million. While most of the grid was restored by Tuesday, several areas, including parts of Santiago de Cuba, remained disconnected due to severe fuel shortages.
The repeated failures have disrupted daily life and affected businesses across the island. In Havana, cafe owner Yailin Fis Garcia said power cuts had caused food to spoil, adding to the financial pressure on her newly opened business.
Cuba has blamed a US oil blockade and economic sanctions for worsening shortages that have affected its ageing power infrastructure. The government says restrictions on fuel supplies have limited its ability to operate power plants.
Washington, however, has attributed the crisis to mismanagement of Cuba’s state-run economy. During a United Nations debate, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz urged Havana to change its policies and restore reliable electricity for its citizens.
The dispute over the causes of Cuba’s energy crisis has intensified, with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla accusing US measures of causing widespread hardship. According to Reuters, he described the situation as a result of an “energy blockade” after the latest grid collapse.
The continuing blackouts have also fuelled social tensions, with small protests reported in Havana following Monday’s nationwide outage.
