Cuba's national electrical grid suffered its sixth nationwide collapse of the year, plunging the island into darkness late Sunday and again on Monday. This event marks the fourth island-wide blackout in less than a month, following three total collapses in July.
The deepening energy crisis is attributed to aging and decrepit infrastructure alongside a US-imposed energy embargo and oil blockade that has halted regular fuel deliveries for power stations. Efforts to restore power were further complicated by unfavorable weather conditions in the Caribbean, which caused a second collapse as authorities struggled to stabilize the grid.
The frequent outages have made normal life nearly impossible, with many Cubans now having power for only a few hours a day. These failures have led to spoiling food, compromising public services, and causing treated drinking water supplies to dwindle. On August 3, some citizens expressed their frustration by banging pots and pans from their balconies.
Electricity was restored across the island nearly 36 hours after the most recent national blackout began.