Cuba has begun restoring power following a nationwide grid collapse on Saturday evening—the second total blackout in less than a week and third major outage this month—affecting around 10 million people after a major power plant in Nuevitas failed. Officials established microgrids for essential services amid chronic fuel shortages and grid unreliability.
Cuba's grid operator UNE and the Sancti Spíritus Electric Company reported the failure at 6:32 p.m. local time (2232 GMT) on Saturday, triggered by the breakdown of a major power plant in Nuevitas, Camagüey province. The incident caused a cascade effect, cutting electricity across the island. Telegram channels and state media warned of the outage shortly after it began.
This marked the second total blackout in a week, following an unexplained collapse on Monday, and the third significant failure this month after a March 4 partial outage—caused by a breakdown at the Antonio Guiteras plant in Matanzas—that affected two-thirds of the country from Camagüey to Pinar del Río. Cuban media, including Cubadebate, linked the crises to a U.S. 'fuel blockade.' Between late 2024 and early 2025, five national or regional disconnections occurred due to key unit failures or generation deficits.
Even without full collapses, residents have endured months of daily outages, often limited to 2-4 hours of power, paralyzing activities. In Havana, resident Leoni Alberto described life as unchanged: “We’re stuck in the same rut,” cooking with firewood twice weekly amid the 'absolute madness.' Cellular and internet services were largely down.
Recovery efforts started early Sunday, with the energy ministry announcing microgrids—smaller closed circuits—in all provinces for hospitals, water, and food distribution. Gas-fired plants in Varadero and Boca de Jaruco operated, powering the nearby Santa Cruz oil-fired plant, per social media. Prime Minister Manuel Marrero said progress was unfolding under 'very complex circumstances.'
The blackout coincided with the 'Convoy Nuestra America' in Havana, hosting around 650 visitors from 33 countries, including Spain’s Pablo Iglesias and Britain’s Jeremy Corbyn, received by President Miguel Díaz-Canel.
Cuba attributes its aging grid and woes to the U.S. trade embargo, exacerbated by oil restrictions after U.S. President Donald Trump's January 3 deposition of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, halting cheap Venezuelan supplies and threatening tariffs on others. Washington cites Cuba’s command economy.
