Cuba Faces Third Power Grid Collapse Amid Efforts to Restore Electricity
Cuba’s ongoing struggle to restore power suffered another major setback late Saturday. The country’s national electrical grid collapsed for the third time in two days, leaving millions without electricity. This power crisis has worsened living conditions for many, already grappling with shortages of food, medicine, and fuel.
Ongoing Power Struggles
The crisis began on Friday when Cuba’s largest power plant unexpectedly shut down, causing the first grid collapse. Despite urgent efforts to reestablish electricity throughout Saturday, another failure occurred early in the day. Although progress was made by evening, the system failed again at 10:25 p.m., according to a post from the Havana Electric Company on Telegram.
While the post was later removed without explanation, millions of people remained without power on Sunday morning. Cuba’s energy ministry confirmed on social media platform X that it was working to restore the grid but faced additional complications in the western part of the island, including Havana.
“The process of reestablishing the electrical system continues to be complex,” the ministry stated, highlighting the ongoing challenges.
Public Frustration Mounts
The continued outages have sparked frustration across the island. Reuters reported small protests in Havana’s Marianao and Cuatro Caminos neighborhoods. Power outages have made it difficult for many Cubans to charge phones and access the internet, severely disrupting daily life. Videos of protests circulating on social media have underscored the widespread impact of the crisis.
“Network data show that Cuba remains largely offline as the island experiences a second nationwide power outage,” reported NetBlocks, a group monitoring internet disruptions, further emphasizing the scale of the problem.
Government Struggles and External Factors
In response to the escalating power failures, Cuba’s government implemented drastic measures, sending non-essential workers home and closing schools on Friday to conserve fuel for power generation. The country has faced worsening blackouts for weeks, with some areas enduring outages of up to 20 hours a day.
Cuban officials blame a mix of aging infrastructure, fuel shortages, and increased demand for the ongoing outages. They also point to the U.S. trade embargo and sanctions imposed during the Trump administration as significant barriers to acquiring the fuel and spare parts necessary to maintain oil-fired power plants.
A Nation in Crisis
This third collapse of the power grid marks a significant setback for Cuba, deepening the hardships already faced by its population. With no immediate solution in sight, the government’s efforts to restore power are under intense scrutiny as the island struggles to keep essential services running amid an increasingly fragile energy infrastructure.