Cuba lost power across the country on Friday after a major power plant failed, according to the country's Energy Ministry. Power outages are a recurring problem for Cuba's aging power grid New York Times reported, noting that the country has been lacking fuel to fully operate the power grid for weeks.
Its national power grid was completely shut down at 11 a.m. local time, the Energy Ministry said
The previous evening, officials had urged residents to limit their electricity use and announced that schools and non-essential businesses would close. The Washington Post Reports. Prime Minister Manuel Marrero said the country needed to “paralyze” its economy amid an energy crisis.
Authorities say they are working to restart the Antonio Guiteras power plant after it was shut down this morning. According to information, it is the largest power plant in the country Reuters.
The country's energy crisis is the result of US sanctions that make it difficult to import fuel, President Miguel Díaz-Canel said on Thursday on X. Cuba normally gets a lot of fuel from Venezuela. But both countries face US sanctions, declining fuel supplies and economic crises.