Cuba’s power grid has collapsed once again, leaving millions without electricity, in the latest nationwide blackout to hit the island. The collapse occurred on Friday evening after a breakdown at a substation in Havana, triggering a chain reaction that shut down power generation across the country.
The situation is dire, with only 225 MW of electricity being generated, about 10% of total demand. However, parallel circuits are helping provide power to key sectors such as hospitals. The Cuban government has deployed generator units and synchronised them with the national grid to mitigate the impact.
Cuba is struggling with its economic crisis, which includes US sanctions that have hit its economy hard. The country’s reliance on subsidised Venezuelan oil is also under threat due to Caracas’ own economic problems. As a result, residents are facing extended power cuts of four or five hours in Havana and up to 20 hours a day outside the capital.
“I’m worried about the future,” said Karen Gutierrez, a 32-year-old ice cream seller in Havana. “We’re not sure when we’ll get our electricity back.” Andres Lopez, a 67-year-old resident of Holguin, added that he was frustrated with the repeated blackouts, saying “I just want to know when they’ll fix it.”
The government attributes its economic woes to the US trade embargo, a Cold War-era policy that restricts financial transactions and access to essentials like fuel and spare parts. To address its electricity shortfall, Cuba is racing to install 55 solar farms with Chinese technology by the end of this year, which will generate about 1,200 MW of power – about 12% of the national total.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/15/huge-power-outage-in-cuba-leaves-millions-in-darkness