Power Restored to Some Parts of Cuba As Island Faces Blackout Crisis

Cuba’s government announced Saturday that parts of the island had electricity again after one of its key power plants failed, triggering a blackout that began two days earlier.

Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy stated that the electrical grid was producing 500 megawatts by early Saturday, and posted on X that “several substations in the west now have electricity.”

He added that two thermoelectric power plants are back online, with two more expected to resume operations “in the next few hours.”

The nationwide blackout began after the Antonio Guiteras plant failed on Friday, impacting the entire grid. Cuba operates several other power plants, though it remained unclear if they were functioning properly.

Authorities have not provided a timeline for a full restoration. The collapse in power supply was unprecedented, with residents accustomed to blackouts due to the country’s economic challenges, except in cases of severe hurricanes, such as one in 2022.

In response, the government implemented emergency measures to reduce electricity demand, including suspending classes, shutting some state-owned workplaces, and halting nonessential services. Officials reported that the power failure caused 1.64 gigawatts to go offline during peak hours—about half the national demand at the time.

Local officials attributed the initial outage, which began on Thursday, to rising electricity consumption from small businesses and residential air conditioning units. Aging thermoelectric plants, insufficient maintenance, and fuel shortages worsened the crisis.

Authorities are now considering adjusting electricity rates for small and medium-sized businesses, which have grown in number since they were permitted in 2021.

The government reported late Saturday that power had been restored to nearly one-fifth of the population following two grid collapses within 24 hours. However, large parts of the capital, Havana, remained without power as of Saturday evening.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Oscar looms, with strong winds and rain hitting parts of the island. The storm is expected to graze northeastern Cuba in the coming days, compounding an already tense situation for residents facing food, medicine, and fuel shortages.

Lazaro Guerra, Cuba’s chief electricity official, warned that grid restoration would be slow. “I cannot assure you that we will be able to complete linking the system today, but we are estimating that there should be important progress today,” Guerra said on a state TV broadcast.

The national grid first collapsed midday Friday when the Antonio Guiteras plant went offline, followed by another failure on Saturday morning.

Weeks of worsening blackouts—lasting 10 to 20 hours daily—have been blamed on deteriorating infrastructure, fuel scarcity, and increasing energy demand. Officials noted that strong winds from Hurricane Milton, which hit the island last week, further complicated efforts to deliver fuel from offshore vessels.

Cuban officials have also criticized the US trade embargo and sanctions imposed by former president Donald Trump, saying these measures have hindered the country’s ability to obtain fuel and spare parts for its power plants.

“There are those who sing victory and join the ambition of seeing Cuba on its knees with the interruption of the electrical system,” Vice Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio posted on X.

“They support the ruthless US aggression,” he added. “We respond with the talent and commitment of our (grid) workers and executives.”