Cuba Faces Island-Wide Blackout as Energy Crisis Deepens

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Cuba experienced a massive island-wide blackout on Friday, leaving its population of 10 million without electricity after the failure of one of the country's primary power plants, according to the energy ministry.

By Friday evening, authorities were able to restore power to approximately 20,000 residents in Havana, a city of 2 million people.

Although power outages are a persistent issue in Cuba, the situation has deteriorated recently. In an attempt to address the crisis, the government announced on Thursday night that schools would close and most state employees would stay home the following day to conserve energy. However, by 11 a.m. Friday, the country's largest power plant, the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric station, shut down, triggering a grid failure.

Cuba's aging infrastructure, compounded by maintenance challenges and fuel shortages, is responsible for frequent outages. In some provinces outside of Havana, residents have been enduring blackouts of up to 20 hours.

President Miguel Díaz-Canel took to X (formerly Twitter), pledging to prioritize resolving the issue and promising that no effort would be spared until electricity was fully restored. Prime Minister Manuel Marrero attributed the blackouts to crumbling infrastructure, fuel shortages, and increased demand for electricity.

As demand continues to rise, Cuba's access to oil has dwindled. Venezuela, the island's main supplier and ally, has reduced its oil shipments. Similarly, supplies from Russia and Mexico have also significantly decreased.

Authorities are uncertain when power will be restored across the entire island. During peak hours on Thursday evening, officials reported that 1.64 gigawatts went offline, which accounted for about half of the demand at that time.

In a national address early Friday morning, Marrero acknowledged the worsening situation, stating that the government has had to suspend economic activities to prioritize energy for citizens. He was joined by Alfredo López, the head of UNE (Cuba’s National Electric Union), who pointed to rising demand from small- and medium-sized businesses, increased use of air conditioners, aging thermoelectric plants in need of maintenance, and fuel shortages as contributing factors.

To ease the strain, Marrero mentioned that changes to electricity rates for businesses, which have increased since their authorization in 2021, are being considered. He also assured citizens that a new supply of fuel from the state-owned oil company was expected soon.