Cuba was hit by a nationwide power outage Monday as the country’s deepening energy crisis continues to disrupt daily life for its 11 million residents.
Officials said the entire national electrical system suddenly disconnected, leaving the island without power. Authorities are investigating the cause and said there were no reported failures in the generating units that were operating at the time.
The outage is the third major blackout to strike Cuba in the past four months. The country’s aging power grid has been deteriorating for years, causing frequent electricity cuts and long outages across the island.
For many Cubans, the situation has become unbearable. Residents say food often spoils during the outages and daily life has become increasingly difficult, especially for older people.
Some residents said the constant power cuts make them feel that those who can should leave the country in search of a better life.
The worsening energy crisis comes as tensions rise between Cuba and the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump recently described Cuba as a “failed nation” and suggested the United States could one day take control of the island.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said he believed he would “have the honour of taking Cuba,” adding that the country is now very weak.
The Trump administration has demanded that Cuba release political prisoners and introduce political and economic reforms in exchange for easing U.S. sanctions.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Havana warned that the country’s electrical system has become increasingly unstable and that both scheduled and unexpected outages are now common across Cuba. Officials advised residents to conserve fuel, water, food and mobile phone battery power as disruptions continue.
Experts say Cuba’s electrical infrastructure is old and poorly maintained. Many parts of the system have already exceeded their normal lifespan, making it difficult for technicians to keep the grid running.
The country’s energy problems have worsened in recent months after oil shipments from Venezuela stopped earlier this year. Without regular fuel supplies, Cuba has been relying on limited sources such as solar power, natural gas and aging thermoelectric plants.
President Miguel Díaz-Canel recently said the country has not received oil shipments for three months. The shortages have forced hospitals to postpone tens of thousands of surgeries as the government struggles to manage the crisis.
Many residents say the outages are affecting every aspect of daily life. Some said the food they buy with money sent from relatives abroad often spoils during long power cuts, while elderly family members suffer the most from the heat and lack of electricity.
Cuba produces about 40 percent of its own petroleum, but it is not enough to meet the country’s needs. At the same time, the government lacks the foreign currency needed to import spare parts or modernize the aging grid.
Analysts warn that if the crisis continues, the country could face deeper economic problems and a new wave of migration as people search for stability elsewhere.