Cuba has been plunged into a nationwide blackout, impacting its population of approximately 10 million. The state-run Electric Union reported the outage on social media platform X, indicating that the cause is currently under investigation.
The Ministry of Energy and Mines also took to X, stating that they have implemented protocols aimed at restoring electricity across the island.
Since January, fuel shortages have been a growing concern for the nation, exacerbated by U.S. sanctions threatening tariffs on countries supplying oil to Cuba. This has contributed to a significant economic and financial crisis, leading to the suspension of public transportation and the cancellation of tens of thousands of medical procedures.
Cuba produces only about 40% of its fuel needs, and a shipment of 730,000 barrels of oil from a Russian tanker in late March was depleted by the end of April. This has forced the government to impose power rationing, resulting in intentional outages that can last over 24 hours.
Earlier this year, a blackout affected the eastern regions of the island in mid-May, while a complete blackout occurred in mid-March, underscoring the ongoing challenges faced by the country's aging electrical infrastructure.
Reported by HarborBeat based on WMAR-2 News (source).
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