Cuba experienced another nationwide blackout early Saturday morning, just hours after officials reported that efforts were underway to restore power gradually. According to a statement on the official Telegram channel of the Cuban Electrical Union, “At 6:15 am, a new total outage occurred of the national electroenergetic system. The Electric Union is working to reestablish it.”
Cuban authorities had previously announced that some areas of the island had regained power, although no specific data was provided on how many residents had their electricity restored. However, social media posts revealed that some Cubans experienced only brief returns of power before it cut out again.
The ongoing power outages are exacerbating an already dire situation in Cuba, where power is essential not only for electricity but also for running water and preserving food. The blackouts have left millions without power for days, as Cuba’s aging electrical grid continues to falter. Saturday’s outage comes after a previous island-wide blackout on Friday, which was reportedly triggered by the failure of one of the country’s major power plants.
Cuban officials have pointed to several factors for the crisis, including increased U.S. sanctions, recent hurricanes, and the deteriorating state of the nation’s infrastructure. In a delayed televised address on Thursday, Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz acknowledged the challenges, stating that much of the country’s production had been halted in an effort to supply power to the population. “We have been paralyzing economic activity to generate (power) for the population,” he explained.
Despite the power crisis, Cuba’s Health Minister José Angel Portal Miranda assured the public via X (formerly Twitter) that healthcare facilities were operating on generators, and medical staff were continuing to provide essential services.
In the capital city of Havana, streets remained dark on Friday with no functioning traffic lights, leaving motorists to navigate the roads with only a few police officers directing traffic. Generators, which are considered a luxury for most Cubans, were sparsely heard in the city. As part of energy-saving measures, the government announced that schools would be closed from Friday through the weekend, nightclubs and recreational centers were ordered to shut down, and only “essential workers” were asked to report to work.
Stay updated on this developing story by joining our WhatsApp channel here: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VabITrvEAKW7DSkTfP0JC.