Cuban authorities work to fix the grid after a new blackout, with aging infrastructure and a US oil blockade crippling the power system
HAVANA: Cuban authorities scrambled to restore power after the second nationwide blackout in less than a week.
The energy ministry reported a “total disconnection” of the national electric system affecting nearly 10 million people.
Some parts of Havana began to have power again early Sunday, but others remained dark.
Energy and mining minister Vicente de la O Levy said on X that a gas power station near Havana and another in Varadero were generating again.
A hydroelectric plant in central Cuba and a unit of a thermoelectric plant were also back online.
The latest blackout was due to an outage in a generating unit at one of the country’s eight thermoelectric plants.
This triggered a domino effect across the fragile national grid.
The breakdowns have intensified since Cuba’s main oil supplier, Venezuela, stopped shipments in January.
No oil has been imported to the island since January 9, hitting the power sector and forcing airlines to curtail flights.
US President Donald Trump has threatened tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba.
The grid also struggles due to aging infrastructure and a US oil blockade.
There have been seven nationwide blackouts since 2024, making life more difficult for Cubans.
Residents fear food will spoil in refrigerators amid a severe economic crisis.
The outages, along with regular shortages of food and medicine, are spurring frustrations.
In a rare moment of violence, demonstrators vandalized a provincial office of the Cuban Communist Party last weekend.
The new blackout occurred as an international aid convoy began to arrive in Cuba.
The convoy is bringing sorely-needed medical supplies, food, water and solar panels to the Caribbean island.
