- Cuba’s energy crisis has triggered five nationwide blackouts in under a year, affecting more than 10 million people.
- Obsolete plants, reduced fuel imports, and US sanctions have pushed the grid to the brink of collapse.
Cuba’s energy crisis has once again left millions in darkness. The island suffered its fifth nationwide blackout in less than a year. The energy ministry said more than 10 million people lost electricity on Wednesday after the grid collapsed.
This latest breakdown extends a wave of blackouts that expose the weakness of Cuba’s ageing electricity system. Earlier this week, provinces from Las Tunas to Guantánamo lost power for several hours. In February, the government suspended schools and workplaces because of low electricity generation.
Residents voiced growing frustration. Havana resident Raúl Ernesto Gutiérrez said rural families now rely on firewood and charcoal for cooking. He called the blackouts exhausting and stressful. State worker Danai Hernández left work after another outage and hurried home to prepare her household for the night.
Outdated oil-fired plants lie at the core of Cuba’s energy crisis. Many plants have operated for more than three decades with little investment. The crisis deepened last year when the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, the nation’s largest, failed, leaving Cuba in darkness for days.
Falling fuel imports have worsened the problem. Shipments from Venezuela, Russia, and Mexico continue to shrink. At the same time, US sanctions block Cuba’s access to foreign currency, preventing vital fuel purchases and delaying plant repairs.
Constant blackouts have already sparked rare protests against the government. Many Cubans now fear a total collapse of the power system, worsening shortages of fuel, food, and essential goods.