Cuba has suffered another blackout that has temporarily knocked out power in the western part of the Caribbean island, including the capital Havana.
The country’s Ministry of Energy and Mines announced on Wednesday that the blackout began at 5 a.m. local time (10:00 GMT). After that all systems were announced restored At 1:26 pm (18:26 GMT).
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Millions of residents were left in the dark for hours as the government worked to restore power to areas from the western province of Pinar del Rio to Mayabeque, east of Havana.
Throughout the morning, officials tried to assure people that power would be restored soon.
“After the power outage in western Cuba, workers at the (Ministry of Energy and Mines) immediately began restoration efforts, which are already underway,” Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz wrote on social media.
“We appreciate their extraordinary efforts to achieve this as quickly as possible.”
But power outages have always been a source of uneasiness in Cuba — and a symptom of its crumbling power grid.
In 2024 alone, at least Five major power grid failures Life on the island was disrupted, with rare demonstrations against the government in cities such as Santiago de Cuba.
Tendency to frequent outages is continued In 2025, co Major blackout In September, it was blamed on a malfunction in a thermoelectric plant.
Many pressures on the grid
Cuba’s National Electric System (SEN) is aging. Relying heavily on fossil fuels from sources like Venezuela, most power grids are considered outdated.
Much of the infrastructure also dates back to the Cold War era. It took a big leap in construction in the 1980s, and by 1989, grid coverage reached 95 percent of all households.
In recent years, Cuba has invested in renewable energy as an alternative to the current energy production model.
For example, in April 2024, the Caribbean nation signed an agreement with China to open 92 solar power plants by 2028. The first of them was inaugurated in February this year.
But natural calamities, especially cyclones, continue to disrupt power supply on the island.
For example, in late September, Hurricane Imelda churned through the Caribbean Sea, causing flooding and landslides in Cuba, where at least two people died.
Then, in October, Cuba was hit once again, this time by Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic storms on record.
The hurricane had weakened to a Category 3 storm by the time it made landfall in Cuba, but it still caused more severe flooding on the island, destroying homes and displacing thousands.
Cuban officials have blamed the United States for contributing to the island’s infrastructure.
Since 1962, the US has imposed extensive embargoes on Cuba, which critics say have crippled the island’s economy.
Despite efforts to loosen the embargo in recent decades, US President Donald Trump’s administration has maintained the embargo, citing reports of human rights abuses under the Cuban government.
Still, in October, a majority in the UN General Assembly once again approved a non-binding resolution calling on the US to end the sanctions, as part of the annual appeal.
The resolution argues that economic sanctions are disproportionately punitive.
The President blamed the US ‘blockade’
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said Wednesday that the challenges, including the toll of recent storms, hinder the proper functioning of the electrical grid.
“Workers at the (Ministry of Energy and Mines), who never take a break from the daily challenges imposed by the blockade and recovery efforts after Hurricane Melissa, are already working to solve the problem,” Diaz-Canel said. wrote. “Once again, we believe in them.”
Since taking office in 2019, Diaz-Canel has faced significant pressure from blackouts and public unrest.
In 2021, thousands of Cubans took to the streets to protest the worsening conditions on the island, amid economic losses from the Covid-19 pandemic and shortages of basic supplies such as fuel. Among their complaints were regular blackouts on the island.
The protests coincided with a record mass exodus from Cuba. Estimates of the island’s population vary, but government statistics show that, in 2021, the total number of inhabitants was around 11,113,215.
By 2024, this number has dropped to 9,748,532. This indicates a population decline of more than 12 percent, much of which is attributable to migration to the island.
This decrease is related to an increase in Cuban arrivals documented by the US Customs and Border Protection Agency.
For fiscal year 2023, the agency reported 200,287 “encounters” with Cuban migrants trying to enter the United States. For fiscal year 2024, this number rose to 217,615.
Under Trump, however, the U.S. this month suspended all immigration applications from Cuba and 18 other countries under the Republican president. is described As “Third World”.