HAVANA (AP) — Cuba experienced another nationwide blackout of the National Electric System on Tuesday, leaving the entire island without electricity. This marks the third such outage in the past two weeks, occurring as a U.S. oil embargo continues to strain the country’s power grid.
Fuel shortages have plagued Cuba since January, when former President Donald Trump threatened tariffs against any nation providing oil to the island, deepening its economic and financial crisis. The resulting energy deficit has led to the suspension of most public transportation and the cancellation of tens of thousands of medical surgeries.
Cuba produces only 40% of the fuel it requires, and no immediate solution for importing additional supplies has emerged.
The state‑owned Electric Union reported that a fault in a generating unit in the eastern province of Holguín caused a sudden frequency change, triggering the SEN blackout around midday.
The Ministry of Energy and Mines and the Electric Union said restoration protocols have been activated, which involve creating “micro‑island” power zones that will be interconnected to supply essential services such as hospitals and food‑processing facilities.
By the afternoon, portions of Havana had regained electricity, according to The Associated Press, with officials reporting that roughly 4% of the capital now had power. The provinces of Guantánamo and Cienfuegos indicated they had begun restoring electricity to hospitals, and Matanzas confirmed that the historic city center had been re‑energized.
In the previous week, two nationwide blackouts on Monday and Friday left more than nine million Cubans without power, compounding two earlier outages in March and multiple regional interruptions.
The blackouts have a profound impact on daily life, and when combined with the broader energy embargo, they have caused transportation disruptions, reduced work hours, flight cancellations, and serious public‑health repercussions.
Essential services are also compromised, affecting cooking, water supply, and internet and telephone connectivity.
In Havana’s streets, the blackout did not come as a surprise to residents.
“These blackouts have become normal in Cuba now; if anything else happened, it would be strange,” said 69‑year‑old retail clerk Roberto Liana.
Many Cubans are adapting to the situation, as illustrated by 25‑year‑old mother of two, Sayli Aguilera, who said, “We are improvising and doing what we can.”
Numerous households have turned to solar backup systems, installing panels and portable batteries, while electric motorcycles and tricycles powered by photovoltaic technology have become the primary means of personal transport.
