On the night of December 8 and early morning of December 9, 2025, Cubans in various regions took to the streets to protest power outages exceeding 12 hours in some areas. Residents banged pots, lit bonfires, and chanted demands for electricity, food, and freedom. These demonstrations underscore the deepening energy crisis gripping the island.
The wave of protests spread through Havana neighborhoods like Marianao, Centro Habana, Alamar, Lawton, and La Lisa, as well as central and eastern regions of Cuba. Social media videos captured demonstrators demanding: “We want electric power, dammit!”, “Enough of putting up with this,” and “Freedom!”. In Marianao, tensions rose until police retreated amid thrown bottles, and power was restored shortly after, according to local residents.
At the University of Camagüey, students staged a protest, the second in recent weeks, while similar actions occurred in Baracoa, Guantánamo. On December 6, in the El Marañón neighborhood of Las Tunas, residents demanded adherence to blackout schedules, having received only 25 minutes of electricity per day for over a week.
The Cuban Observatory of Conflicts recorded numerous protests in November over the arbovirus epidemic, electricity, food, and civil liberties. Authorities describe the energy situation as “very complex,” with fuel shortages keeping 900 to 1,000 MW offline. Deficits hit 1,981 MW on Friday, 2,086 MW on Saturday, and 2,084 MW on Sunday, against a minimum demand over 2,400 MW. On December 3, the western National Electric System disconnected entirely.
Cuba operates 32 photovoltaic parks contributing 715 MW, but they have not shortened outages. Expert Jorge Piñón states there is no short-term solution and criticizes the current solar strategy. Additionally, the Antonio Guiteras plant will undergo maintenance in early 2026, potentially worsening strains. The arbovirus epidemic has claimed 44 official deaths, and over 200 stores sell essentials in dollars.