HAVANA: A nationwide power outage in Cuba entered its second day on Saturday, leaving most neighborhoods in the capital, Havana, in darkness.
The blackout, which began Friday, resulted in the closure of schools, halted public transport, and caused traffic lights to fail, effectively bringing the city to a standstill.
The crisis was triggered by an unexpected shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras power plant, the largest of Cuba’s eight ageing coal-fired power plants.
Lazaro Guerra, head of electricity supply at the energy ministry, said that the national electric utility, UNE, had managed to generate a minimal amount of power to restore some functionality but faced another total disconnection of the electrical grid early Saturday morning.
“I am trying to remain calm because there is too much stress over everything in this country,” said Yaima Vallares, a 28-year-old dancer.
Meanwhile, Isabel Rodriguez, 72, lamented the frequent outages that have made life increasingly difficult for residents. “Believe me, it is hard to live like this,” she said.
This blackout follows weeks of severe power shortages, with some provinces experiencing outages lasting up to 20 hours a day.
Prime Minister Manuel Marrero declared an “energy emergency” on Thursday and suspended all nonessential public services to prioritize electricity supply to homes. Schools across the country will remain closed until Monday, while hospitals and essential facilities powered by generators will continue to operate.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel stated on X (formerly Twitter) that the government would “not rest” until electricity was fully restored. He attributed the ongoing issues to difficulties in acquiring fuel for power plants, blaming the tightening of the long-standing US trade embargo during the Trump administration.
Cuba is currently grappling with its worst economic crisis since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, marked by rampant inflation and shortages of food, medicine, fuel, and water.
The situation has driven many Cubans to seek refuge abroad, with more than 700,000 reportedly entering the United States between January 2022 and August 2024.
