Cuba’s desperate struggle to restore power to its people took a devastating turn for the worse on Saturday night, with the national electrical grid collapsing for a third time in less than 24 hours. The latest outage, which occurred shortly before midnight, plunged millions of Cubans back into darkness and fueled growing anger and frustration towards the government.
The initial power outage on Friday afternoon was triggered by the shutdown of the island’s largest power plant. This was followed by another collapse on Saturday morning, leaving most of the nation in the dark. Despite efforts to restore power, the grid buckled again on Saturday night, with the Havana Electric company confirming the incident on Telegram before quickly removing the post.
The cause of the repeated collapses remains unclear, but the government has confirmed that it is working to reestablish service. The energy ministry stated on X that the “western sub-system,” which includes the capital Havana, experienced “another disconnection.” This third grid failure represents a major setback in the government’s attempt to swiftly provide relief to exhausted residents who are already grappling with severe food, medicine, and fuel shortages.
Frustration and anger boiled over into small protests in Marianao and the Cuatro Caminos area of Havana overnight, with various videos of demonstrations elsewhere in the capital surfacing on social media. While Reuters could not independently verify the authenticity of these videos, the widespread anger and frustration are undeniable.
The power outages have also had a significant impact on internet connectivity. Internet monitoring group NetBlocks reported a sharp drop in internet traffic on Saturday, as the power outages made it nearly impossible for Cubans to charge their phones and access the internet. This further isolates the population and hinders communication during a time of crisis.
Even before the latest grid failures, Cuba had been experiencing severe electricity shortages for weeks, with blackouts lasting between 10 to 20 hours a day across much of the island. The government has attributed this ongoing crisis to deteriorating infrastructure, fuel shortages, and rising demand. However, the government also blames the U.S. trade embargo and sanctions instituted by former President Donald Trump for exacerbating the situation, claiming these measures impede Cuba’s ability to acquire fuel and spare parts to operate and maintain its power plants. The U.S. has denied any role in the grid failures.
The persistent power outages, coupled with the shortages of basic necessities, have pushed Cuba to the brink. With widespread frustration mounting, the government faces a daunting task of restoring power and addressing the growing discontent among its citizens.