“The system was left without power nationwide” after the unexpected shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras power plant, Lazaro Guerra, director general of electricity at the Ministry of Energy and Mines, told state television.

When the power plant shut down, “the system collapsed,” he said, adding that the government was working to restore service as soon as possible to the island’s 11 million people.

He blamed the situation on Cuba’s difficulties in acquiring fuel for its power plants, which he attributed to the tightening of a six-decade-long US trade embargo under former president Donald Trump.

The island’s electricity is generated by eight aging thermal power plants, some of which have broken down or are under maintenance, as well as seven floating plants leased from Turkish companies and a raft of generators.