Cuba’s electrical grid suffered a total collapse on Monday, the country’s power operator said, marking the latest nationwide blackout in recent years, and the first since the US effectively shut off the flow of oil to Cuba.
Efforts are underway to restore power across the Caribbean island, the state-owned operator said.
Nationwide power outages have been reported frequently over the past few years. Cuban officials have previously attributed them to US economic sanctions, though critics have also faulted a lack of investment in the island’s ailing generation system.
Cuba heavily relies on oil for electricity generation. The effective blockade of fuel shipments has worsened the country’s energy crisis, causing intermittent power cuts, a rationing of medical supplies and a decrease in tourism, officials have said. Fuel prices have skyrocketed so much that it can cost up to $300 in the unofficial market to fill up a car’s gas tank.
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.
*This is a developing story.*
jamesknightorion on
Uh oh
Key_Spend_9098 on
That was the donny plan all anlog.
Swimming_Antelope239 on
Orange clown: We’re pausing our offensive on Iran indefinitely to focus efforts on liberating Cuba.
There’s your off ramp you clown, take it before the entire world economy collapses.
CarPhoneRonnie on
things are really heating up
BootMysterious4524 on
My family is there 😥
SgtNeilDiamond on
Jesus that happened quick
Bishopjones2112 on
Over 90% of Cuba power generation relies on oil. Which has been completely cut off by Trump. The failure of the power system will have devastating effects to population. From hospitals to the need for refrigerated medicine like insulin. This is a humanitarian issue created entirely by Donald Trump in the hopes that this would happen and then he would swing in and take over Cuba. So yet another dick move by the authoritarian regime of the United States and watch for the next few days when Trump talks about saving the people of Cuba by imposing his will on them.
lola_10_ on
Why aren’t other countries helping the people in Cuba?
shamone_mofo on
It was off last week as well my friend was over there .
OP_Skis_In_Jeans on
The Cuban government should have made like China and Vietnam and made economic and social reforms to improve conditions on the ground and decrease vulnerabilities when they had the chance. They didn’t, and now the Cuban people are paying the price.
jgoody86 on
I got to travel Havana with a local one day in 2018 and my heart hurts for those people.
Spezalt4 on
Why would communism let this happen?
macrolidesrule on
The Mafia is going to get its island back.
differing on
For context, Cuba’s power grid has gone down when they still had Venezuelan oil.
HeavyRightFoot-TG on
A lot of people will not survive this. Anarchy will rule the day
dontsheeple on
Not to worry, I’m sure the Castro’s multi million dollar mansion has power.
humanBonemealCoffee on
China shoulda gave them solar panels
Rsantana02 on
Time for Diaz-Canel and his dictatorship to go. Freedom for Cuba and Cubans.
Organic-Feedback1686 on
Well, Cuba is booned.
What allies do they have in the region now?
No way to get oil to power their country.
RexMundi000 on
I was there about 6 months ago. It was already bad. 4 hours of power outside tourist area such as varadero/vedado. Get into the country side you see no tractors in the fields just horses and donkeys.
Danny8806 on
All of a sudden, Reddit cares about Cuba.
kingwood707 on
communism at it’s best
Economy_Field9111 on
These poor people just can’t catch a fucken break.
SpecialInvention on
Well to be fair, sanctions as a method of bringing about regime change have a rich history of success, for example…
…well I’m sure they must have worked somewhere in the past, right?
_JediJon on
This is what humanitarian Christian foreign policy looks like lol
ChilindriPizza on
I had a Cuban driver at my Uber a couple weeks ago. He is blaming the Cuban government for the crisis. He talked to a relative on the phone during the ride- she blames the Cuban government as well.
rando_dud on
Another way to say it would be “US policies totally collapse Cuba’s power system”.
Millions are without a fridge or freezer right now.. to say nothing of schools and hospital.
likelivewirevoodoo on
Is electroboom still there?
d_repz on
Well, decades of sanctions and blockades would do that to any country. I know who I’m blaming for this and it’s not the Cubans.
Piratartz on
Why isn’t the UN sending in supplies?
watchingwandering on
I genuinely don’t understand why every nation in the carribean is not covered head to toe in solar panels. Wind turbines I get but it would seem to solve a lot of these issues. It cant be US sanctions after all china the number one producer of solar is it exactly beholden to the US dictates. I know one of you knows, goggle is fairly unclear on this.
flannelmoose on
“Fuel prices have skyrocketed so much that gas can be as much as $9 a liter on the unofficial market, meaning it costs more than $300 to fill up a car’s gas tank, which is more than most Cubans earn in a year”
Incredibly sad. 😔
33 Comments
*Updated:*
Cuba’s electrical grid suffered a total collapse on Monday, the country’s power operator said, marking the latest nationwide blackout in recent years, and the first since the US effectively shut off the flow of oil to Cuba.
Efforts are underway to restore power across the Caribbean island, the state-owned operator said.
Nationwide power outages have been reported frequently over the past few years. Cuban officials have previously attributed them to US economic sanctions, though critics have also faulted a lack of investment in the island’s ailing generation system.
Cuba heavily relies on oil for electricity generation. The effective blockade of fuel shipments has worsened the country’s energy crisis, causing intermittent power cuts, a rationing of medical supplies and a decrease in tourism, officials have said. Fuel prices have skyrocketed so much that it can cost up to $300 in the unofficial market to fill up a car’s gas tank.
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.
*This is a developing story.*
Uh oh
That was the donny plan all anlog.
Orange clown: We’re pausing our offensive on Iran indefinitely to focus efforts on liberating Cuba.
There’s your off ramp you clown, take it before the entire world economy collapses.
things are really heating up
My family is there 😥
Jesus that happened quick
Over 90% of Cuba power generation relies on oil. Which has been completely cut off by Trump. The failure of the power system will have devastating effects to population. From hospitals to the need for refrigerated medicine like insulin. This is a humanitarian issue created entirely by Donald Trump in the hopes that this would happen and then he would swing in and take over Cuba. So yet another dick move by the authoritarian regime of the United States and watch for the next few days when Trump talks about saving the people of Cuba by imposing his will on them.
Why aren’t other countries helping the people in Cuba?
It was off last week as well my friend was over there .
The Cuban government should have made like China and Vietnam and made economic and social reforms to improve conditions on the ground and decrease vulnerabilities when they had the chance. They didn’t, and now the Cuban people are paying the price.
I got to travel Havana with a local one day in 2018 and my heart hurts for those people.
Why would communism let this happen?
The Mafia is going to get its island back.
For context, Cuba’s power grid has gone down when they still had Venezuelan oil.
A lot of people will not survive this. Anarchy will rule the day
Not to worry, I’m sure the Castro’s multi million dollar mansion has power.
China shoulda gave them solar panels
Time for Diaz-Canel and his dictatorship to go. Freedom for Cuba and Cubans.
Well, Cuba is booned.
What allies do they have in the region now?
No way to get oil to power their country.
I was there about 6 months ago. It was already bad. 4 hours of power outside tourist area such as varadero/vedado. Get into the country side you see no tractors in the fields just horses and donkeys.
All of a sudden, Reddit cares about Cuba.
communism at it’s best
These poor people just can’t catch a fucken break.
Well to be fair, sanctions as a method of bringing about regime change have a rich history of success, for example…
…well I’m sure they must have worked somewhere in the past, right?
This is what humanitarian Christian foreign policy looks like lol
I had a Cuban driver at my Uber a couple weeks ago. He is blaming the Cuban government for the crisis. He talked to a relative on the phone during the ride- she blames the Cuban government as well.
Another way to say it would be “US policies totally collapse Cuba’s power system”.
Millions are without a fridge or freezer right now.. to say nothing of schools and hospital.
Is electroboom still there?
Well, decades of sanctions and blockades would do that to any country. I know who I’m blaming for this and it’s not the Cubans.
Why isn’t the UN sending in supplies?
I genuinely don’t understand why every nation in the carribean is not covered head to toe in solar panels. Wind turbines I get but it would seem to solve a lot of these issues. It cant be US sanctions after all china the number one producer of solar is it exactly beholden to the US dictates. I know one of you knows, goggle is fairly unclear on this.
“Fuel prices have skyrocketed so much that gas can be as much as $9 a liter on the unofficial market, meaning it costs more than $300 to fill up a car’s gas tank, which is more than most Cubans earn in a year”
Incredibly sad. 😔