Cuba’s power system suffers total collapse

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. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said Friday that no oil had been delivered to the island in the last three months. He also said on Friday that Cuban officials have held talks with the United States to “identify the bilateral problems that need a solution.”