HAVANA – A failure at one of Cuba’s main power plants caused a power outage on Friday, affecting the island’s 10 million people, according to the country’s energy ministry.
Earlier in the day, the government tried to maintain power by closing schools and keeping most government workers at home to save energy. But it wasn’t enough, and by 11 a.m. the largest power plant was without power, causing grid failure.
The communist country’s president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, wrote on the .
Cubans have been grappling with rolling blackouts for months. In some provinces outside the capital Havana, many people faced power outages lasting as long as 12 hours at a time.
Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero on Thursday blamed the ongoing power outages on deteriorating infrastructure, fuel shortages and growing needs of the people.
While demand for electricity increases, oil supplies are severely constrained. Cuba’s ally and main oil supplier Venezuela has reduced the volume of cargo it sends to the island. Oil shipments from other countries such as Russia and Mexico have also been significantly reduced.
Authorities said they did not know how long it would take to restore power.
This particular moment worries many Cubans. Walking through a Havana neighborhood, people expressed shock at the situation, with one resident saying it felt as if the country had reached “rock bottom.”
“It’s incredible,” said a Havana resident who declined to give his name. “I don’t see a solution to this problem.”
One woman in Old Havana said she feared the situation would get worse. “I’m really concerned that we may not be at the bottom of this power crisis yet,” she told NBC News.
The Cuban government has long blamed many of Cuba’s economic shortcomings on the decades-long U.S. embargo. Donald Trump has stepped up sanctions during his presidency and the pandemic has had a devastating impact on the island’s tourism industry, one of the most lucrative sources of revenue for the country’s dominant economy.
The economic crisis has made life difficult for ordinary Cubans, with shortages of food, medicine and fuel.
Carmen Sesin reported from Miami and Orlando Matos reported from Havana.
