Cubans rely on batteries, generators continue to exist as the latest power outage
Millions of Cuba left the island in the dark the night before on Saturday after the U.S. power grid failed.
The massive power outage is fourth in the past six months as a severe economic crisis plagued the Caribbean countries. In a statement on social media, the Ministry of Energy and Mines attributed the latest power outage to the failure of a substation in the outskirts of the capital Havana.
Internet and telephone service are intermittent for about 18 hours after leaving the house at about 8 p.m. on Friday.
Lazaro Guerra, head of the ministry’s power department, said on state television that electricity has been provided to support important services such as hospitals.
The strategy is to create a “microsystem” that will be connected to each other to gradually restore power across the country, a statement released by the Cuban Electric Power Alliance on Saturday said. Some of them already operate in the provinces of Guantanamo, Santiago, Ras Tuna and Pinar del Rio.
In Sancti Spiritus, the provincial energy company reported on its telegram channel that over 200,000 customers in the region have electricity, thanks to these microsystems.
Many Cuban families use electric equipment to prepare meals. The power outage may cause food to thaw in the refrigerator and may be damaged due to the tropical climate on the island.
“When I was about to start cooking and make some pasta, the power went out. Now?” Cecilia Duqueense, a 79-year-old housewife who lives in a working-class neighborhood in central Havana.
In Havana, people are shopping on Saturday. Businesses are open, although some people are running with batteries or small home generators.
The gas station is also open, but the tunnels running under Havana Bay and connecting the city to the suburbs are dark.
Cuba suffered similar power outages in October, November and December. The latest is the first in 2025, but in mid-February, the country’s power generation shortage was more than 50% due to insufficient power generation, so the authorities suspended two days of courses and work activities.
Experts say power damage is the result of fuel shortages in power plants and aging infrastructure. Most plants have been in operation for more than 30 years.
The power outage is due to the severe economic crisis Cubans are suffering, with analysts blaming the impact of the Covid-19-19 pandemic, a plan for domestic measures that triggered inflation, especially the tightening of U.S. sanctions.
