Cuba’s national electricity system stopped working completely on Monday, March 16. The state-owned Cuban Electricity Union said it had begun restoration procedures. The Ministry of Energy and Mines is investigating.
“A complete outage has occurred… recovery protocols have begun,” the company said in a statement to X.
This blackout occurred against the backdrop of the worsening energy and economic crises. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said on March 13 that the island had not received oil for more than three months, and was powered by solar energy, natural gas, and thermal power plants.
Cuba had been receiving oil from Venezuela, but supplies were halted after the United States detained Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in early January. The population of Cuba is about 11 million people.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump announced the imposition of an energy blockade in Cuba. He said that he would impose 100 percent customs duties on any country that supplies him with oil.