A resident walks on a street in Havana, Cuba, on March 21 (local time), following a widespread power outage caused by a grid collapse. [Yonhap News]

Cuba, facing an energy crisis due to a U.S. blockade, has experienced its second major power outage in a week.

According to the Associated Press on March 21 (local time), Cuba's Electric Union (UNE) announced that electricity supply was cut off across the country due to a nationwide grid collapse.

This is the second such incident in a week and the third major blackout this month.

Authorities explained that the entire power grid collapsed after an unexpected equipment failure at the Nuevitas thermal power plant led to a cascading shutdown of other operating facilities.

Large-scale power outages have become frequent in Cuba over the past two years due to aging power infrastructure.

The instability of the power system has persisted, with blackouts lasting up to 12 hours a day, exacerbated by a worsening fuel shortage.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel recently stated that Cuba had not received oil supplies from abroad for the past three months.

The Cuban government attributes the energy crisis to U.S. sanctions.

President Donald Trump increased pressure in January by warning of tariffs on countries supplying oil to Cuba.

The United States has demanded the release of Cuban political prisoners and political and economic reforms as conditions for lifting sanctions.

Cuba's inability to receive cheap crude oil from its traditional ally Venezuela is also cited as a factor exacerbating the energy crisis.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who shared anti-U.S. ideology with Cuba, was ousted earlier this year through U.S. military action.

This energy crisis is significantly impacting the lives of the Cuban people.

Various problems are reportedly occurring not only in power generation but also in transportation, distribution of daily necessities, and other aspects of daily life.

The unusual anti-government protests that occurred in various parts of Cuba, including the capital Havana, in 2021 were also due to the public's frustration with frequent blackouts and shortages of daily necessities.

A household in Cuba illuminates its interior with a lamp on March 21 (local time), following a widespread power outage caused by a grid collapse. [Yonhap News]