Cuba experienced a nationwide blackout on Friday morning, plunging the entire country into darkness following a catastrophic failure of its power grid.

This happened hours after Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz addressed the nation about the ongoing electricity crisis.

Experts have warned that this crisis is the worst the nation, long accustomed to food and electricity shortages, has ever faced.

The blackout was triggered by a failure at a thermoelectric power plant in Matanzas, located east of Havana, as reported by Cuba’s energy ministry on X.

For weeks, the country has struggled with fuel shortages necessary to run its power grid, leading to outages lasting up to 12 hours in many areas.

When electricity does return, demand surges, further straining the already fragile system. In his late-night address on Thursday, Mr Marrero urged citizens to cut back on electricity usage to help alleviate the burden on the network.

In response to the worsening situation, officials announced the closure of all schools until Monday and the suspension of cultural and non-essential activities, including nightclubs.

Only essential employees were advised to report to work while hospitals remained open. Government communications emphasised that any non-vital services consuming significant energy would be temporarily halted.

With schools closed and non-essential activities suspended, many Cubans are left anxiously awaiting the restoration of power.

In light of the recent blackout, the Cuban government said it is prioritising the resolution of this critical energy crisis.

As stated by President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez on X, “we are giving absolute priority to the attention and solution of this energy contingency that is of high sensitivity for the nation.”