Officials in Cuba reported a nationwide blackout Monday affecting the island’s roughly 11 million residents as the country’s long-running energy and economic crises intensified.
The Cuban Ministry of Energy and Mines said the nation’s electrical system suffered a “complete disconnection” and that technicians were working to determine the cause.
The outage follows a series of major power failures across the island in recent years, driven by fuel shortages, aging power plants, and a deteriorating electric grid.
The latest disruption comes as Cuba faces tightening energy supplies.
President Miguel Díaz-Canel said Friday that the country had not received oil shipments in more than three months, forcing the government to rely heavily on solar power, natural gas, and aging thermoelectric plants to keep the grid running.
The energy crunch has begun to affect basic services across the country. Díaz-Canel said authorities have already been forced to postpone surgeries for tens of thousands of patients due to electricity shortages.
A major outage earlier this month had already left millions in western Cuba without power after a shutdown at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, one of the island’s largest power facilities.
Cuban officials have blamed their worsening energy crisis in part on U.S. policy restricting fuel flows to the island. Havana says sanctions and pressure on oil suppliers have sharply reduced imports needed to keep its aging oil-fired plants operating.
Fuel shipments from Venezuela — historically Cuba’s primary supplier — have also dwindled, further straining the country’s electricity generation system.
While Cuba produces roughly 40% of the petroleum it uses domestically, analysts say the country remains heavily dependent on imports to keep its grid functioning, leaving it vulnerable to disruptions in supply and mechanical failures.
Amid the deepening crisis, Díaz-Canel said Havana has opened discussions with the United States as the government attempts to stabilize the island’s fragile energy system.
Trump spoke about the ongoing discussions on Monday.
“I do believe I’ll have the honor of taking Cuba … in some form,” Trump said. “It’s a big honor.”
“Whether I free it, take it — I can do anything I want with it, if you want to know the truth. It’s a weakened nation,” Trump added.
Watch the clip below:
🚨 BREAKING: President Trump announces he will have the "honor of TAKING CUBA"
"Whether I free it, TAKE IT — I can do anything I WANT with it!"
"They're a very weakened nation."
Sec. Marco Rubio has been working on Cuba behind the scenes as well
HERE WE GO! 🇺🇸🇨🇺 pic.twitter.com/OQMjgQ3eYd
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 16, 2026
More over at The New York Post:
Cuba reports island-wide blackout as energy crisis worsens https://t.co/8igATmjqgm pic.twitter.com/vJpWtNSvYE
— New York Post (@nypost) March 16, 2026
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