Millions Without Power as Massive Blackout Hits Havana and Western Cuba

Massive Blackout Leaves Millions Without Power in Western Cuba

On Wednesday, a blackout left millions of people without electricity in Havana and western Cuba, the latest outage on an island plagued by depleting oil reserves and a collapsing electrical grid. An energy expert told government radio station Radio Rebelde that restoring operations at one of Cuba's main thermoelectric power facilities, which was shut down, may take at least 72 hours.

The government's electric service reported on social media site X that the outage affected customers from the western town of Pinar del Rio to the central town of Camaguey. Energy and Mines Minister Vicente de la O Levy stated on X late Wednesday that the government was powering vital infrastructure in the affected region as two power facilities were brought online. This infrastructure comprises hospitals and medical clinics.

"We are working to restore the National Electric System amidst a complex energy situation," he said earlier on X. The US Embassy advised citizens to "prepare for significant disruptions" by conserving petrol, water, food, and mobile phone batteries. "Cuba's national power grid is increasingly unreliable, and scheduled and unscheduled power outages are prolonged and a daily occurrence across the country, including Havana," according to X.

Daily Life Disrupted Across Havana

By late afternoon, the government reported that personnel had restored power to 2.5% of Havana, or approximately 21,100 consumers, but that efforts were sluggish and limited by the system's capacity. It has not provided new figures by late Wednesday night. "We trust in the experience and effort of the electrical workers to overcome this situation in the shortest possible time," Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz stated on Twitter.

As night fell, individuals in Havana remained on their doorsteps, using wood or charcoal to create "caldosas," a traditional soup shared by neighbors who contributed veggies, poultry, and beef. A group of musicians played late into the night on the city's famous seawall. Others played dominoes with a rechargeable lamp.

"With the power outages, this is the only thing we young people have to distract ourselves," Jeferson Silvera told the audience. Daily, long-term outages have grown so normal in Cuba that 66-year-old Genoveva Torres was waiting for power to return at night as usual to cook dinner. She was alarmed when she learned about the big blackout. "My God, until when?" she cried. "Then we will not eat. We will have to eat bread again."

Cause of the Power Failure and Emergency Response

According to state media, the interruption was caused by the shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric power plant east of Havana due to a leak in its boiler. According to Radio Rebelde, the plant's technical director, Román Pérez Castañeda, personnel must first identify the defect before repairing and restarting the unit.

According to Radio Rebelde, Pérez Castañeda reported that a boiler pipe ruptured, resulting in a water leak and minor fire that was quickly extinguished. Odalis Sánchez, 63, was out on the street with her grandson when the interruption occurred. She couldn't walk due to a recent procedure, so she called for a transport home.

Some 200 people waited at a bus stop near her, but busses were not operating due to a lack of fuel, so they attempted to obtain a ride by whatever means possible, including hitchhiking. "I need to be able to get home and see what I can do," Sánchez explained. "Without power, you can do nothing. My grandson is also studying, and I have to prepare food for him. Public transit is not helping."

Ongoing Energy Crisis and Economic Pressures

This is the second such outage to hit western Cuba in three months. The outage in early December lasted about 12 hours. Officials stated a malfunction in a transmission line connecting two power plants triggered an overload, resulting in the collapse of the energy system's western sector. Authorities have noticed that some thermoelectric facilities have been in operation for more than 30 years and receive little maintenance due to their high cost.

U.S. sanctions have also stopped the government from purchasing new equipment and specialist parts, according to authorities. Cuba is also dealing with depleting oil stocks after the United States attacked Venezuela in early January, disrupting key fuel imports from the South American country. Later that month, US President Donald Trump vowed to slap taxes on any country that sold or supplied Cuba with oil.

Ernesto Couto Martínez, 76, was trying to arrange a ride home and said he would fight the latest outage "with the spirit that all Cubans have." "We must continue battling. There's no other way," he explained. "We have to move forward, blockade or no blockade." Last month, Cuba's government enforced stringent fuel-saving measures, warning that jet fuel would be unavailable at nine airports until mid-March. Prior to the attack on Venezuela, the island was already dealing with a deteriorating electric grid, generation shortfalls, and fuel supply disruptions.