Cuba Works to Restore Electricity Following Third Major Outage This Month

HAVANA – Cuba has commenced the process of reestablishing its energy network, following a complete grid failure on Saturday that plunged millions into darkness for the third time this month.

Early on Sunday, reports from the state-run Electric Union and the Ministry of Energy and Mines indicated that electricity had been restored to approximately 72,000 customers in the capital, including five hospitals. However, this number represents only a small portion of Havana’s roughly 2 million residents.

To address the situation, localized power systems were implemented in Havana and other provinces such as Matanzas in the west and Holguin in the east, prioritizing essential facilities. Residents in some areas of the capital reported that power returned during the early hours of the morning.

Cuba is grappling with a severe energy crisis. The country’s outdated infrastructure has been deteriorating over time, but officials also attribute the blackouts to a U.S. energy blockade. In January, former President Donald Trump threatened tariffs against nations supplying oil to Cuba, demanding the release of political prisoners and steps towards political and economic reforms as conditions for lifting sanctions. Trump even suggested the possibility of a “friendly takeover” of Cuba.

Compounding Cuba’s energy woes is the cessation of vital oil deliveries from Venezuela, following the U.S. efforts to remove former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Venezuela had been a crucial ally, providing much-needed petroleum supplies to Havana.

President Miguel Díaz-Canel has said the island has not received oil from foreign suppliers for three months. Cuba produces barely 40% of the fuel it needs to power its economy.

Daily blackouts have a significant impact on the population, whose lives are disrupted by reduced work hours, lack of electricity for cooking and damage to household appliances, among many other consequences.

“With the blackout and low voltage, my refrigerator broke — that was today. The day before yesterday, the voltage also dropped around 10 at night,” Suleydi Crespo, a 33-year-old woman with two small children, told AP on Saturday. “If there’s no electricity tomorrow, we won’t be able to get water.”

Residents also expressed exhaustion from the constant outages, whether nationwide or partial.

The Cuban Electric Union, which reports to the Ministry of Energy and Mines, reported that the total disconnection of the national energy system was caused by an unexpected shutdown of a generation unit at the Nuevitas thermoelectric plant in Camaguey province, without providing details on the specific cause of the failure.

The last nationwide blackout occurred on Monday. It took several days to restore power.

Saturday’s outage was the second in the past week and the third in March.

“We have to get used to continuing our usual routine. What else can we do? We have to try to survive. Get used to events, with or without electricity,” said Dagnay Alarcón, a 35-year-old vendor.

Authorities and Díaz-Canel himself have acknowledged the seriousness of the current energy situation. The Vice Minister of Energy and Mines Argelio Abad Vigo explained this week that the country has gone three months without receiving supplies of diesel, fuel oil, gasoline, aviation fuel or liquefied petroleum gas — all vital for the economy and power generation.

Fuel sales for vehicles are rationed, airlines have suspended flights or reduced frequencies many workplaces have reduced hours.

Trump has for months suggested Cuba’s government is on the verge of collapse. After a previous time Cuba’s electric grid collapsed, Trump told reporters he believed he’d soon have “the honor of taking Cuba.”

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