Overview

• Cuba's national electrical grid collapsed early Wednesday following an automatic failure at the Antonio Guiteras power plant, the country's largest energy producer.
• This marks the third nationwide blackout in two months, with previous outages linked to fuel shortages, aging infrastructure, and hurricanes Rafael and Oscar.
• The government is working to restore power and has stated that a significant portion of the grid could be operational by the end of the day.
• Cuba's energy system relies on outdated oil-fired power plants and imported fuel, but reduced oil imports from Venezuela, Russia, and Mexico have heightened its vulnerability.
• The blackouts come during Cuba's worst economic crisis in decades, characterized by inflation, food and fuel shortages, and deteriorating infrastructure.