Cuba, a street view of a residential area in Havana’s Old Town.
Havana/Houston, 18 October – Cuba’s electricity grid has suffered a major outage following the failure of one of the island’s key power plants, according to the Cuban Ministry of Energy. On Friday, the country was plunged into total darkness, leaving about 10 million Cubans without electricity. This was reported by Reuters.
By the morning of the same day, the Communist-run Cuban government had closed schools and shut down most government offices in an attempt to conserve electricity. However, a midday accident at the Antonio Guiterrez power plant, the largest and most efficient on the island, led to the complete collapse of the national grid.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, addressing the nation via Platform X, promised that he would not stop working until the electricity supply is restored. Meanwhile, the government decided to close all non-essential public services until Sunday, including schools and cultural and entertainment venues. Only employees in critical sectors such as healthcare and food processing went to work.
Cuban energy officials cannot say for sure how long it will take to restore the grid. The crisis has exacerbated an already difficult situation on the island, where the population suffers from chronic shortages of food, water, fuel and medicine.
Energy crisis amid deteriorating infrastructure
Almost all trade in the country’s capital, Havana, came to a standstill on Friday at noon. The humming of private generators running in some homes and restaurants could be heard in the city air. Many residents tried to escape the heat by sitting with their windows open.
Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero said the blackouts in recent weeks were caused by a critical fuel shortage, ageing infrastructure and increased demand for electricity. Hurricane Milton, which hit the island last week, exacerbated the problems by damaging the ability to transport fuel to power plants.
According to Marrero, the biggest factor contributing to the crisis is the shortage of fuel caused not only by natural disasters but also by US sanctions, which make it difficult to access the necessary resources and spare parts. Cuba’s two main power plants, Felton and Antonio Guiteras, are in urgent need of repair, but due to financial difficulties, their maintenance has been postponed.
Reduced fuel supplies from Venezuela and other allies
The fuel situation is also complicated by a reduction in supplies from Venezuela, Cuba’s main oil supplier. In 2024, supplies almost halved compared to the previous year. Other Cuban allies, including Russia and Mexico, have also reduced fuel exports to the island, leaving Cuba dependent on much more expensive purchases on the global market.
Representatives of the Cuban power system are hopeful that electricity supplies will be partially restored in the coming days as weather conditions improve and it becomes possible to redistribute fuel from previous supplies.
