Cuba’s largest power plant fails, causing nationwide blackout affecting more than 10 million people

On October 18th, Cuba experienced a nationwide blackout affecting over 10 million people, according to the Ministry of Energy. The crisis was triggered by a failure at a major power plant, leaving many in the dark with no clear timeline for restoring electricity.

In a statement on X, the Ministry confirmed that the Antonio Guiteras power plant, the largest in the country, was responsible for the outage. Utility workers are currently engaged in repair efforts.

Moreover, the Cuban government has declared a state of emergency and suspended all non-essential services that incur energy costs. This includes halting school activities over the weekend and cultural events, as well as ordering the closure of bars and nightclubs.

Just hours before the blackout, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero attributed the ongoing power issues to damage caused by recent storms. However, he emphasized that fuel shortages remain the principal challenge behind the instability in electricity supply.