Cuba experienced its third nationwide blackout of the National Electric System (SEN) on Tuesday, plunging the entire country into darkness. Officials attributed the outage to dwindling fuel supplies, a persistent issue that has gripped the island for months and is further complicated by U.S. oil embargoes.
The latest nationwide shutdown occurred around midday following a problem with a generating unit in the eastern province of Holguín, which caused a sudden frequency change, according to the state-owned Electric Union. Protocols for restoration have been activated, with authorities working to establish and interconnect "micro-islands" to prioritize power for essential locations such as hospitals and food processing plants.
By Tuesday afternoon, some areas of the capital, Havana, had power restored, with The Associated Press confirming electricity reaching 4% of the city. Hospitals in Guantánamo and Cienfuegos began receiving power, and Matanzas reported that the city's historic center had power back.
This latest blackout follows two previous nationwide outages on Monday and Friday of the previous week. These incidents, along with several regional outages in March, have left millions of Cubans without electricity. The cumulative effect of these power failures, coupled with the ongoing energy crisis, has led to significant disruptions, including limitations on transportation, reduced work hours, flight cancellations, and serious public health consequences. Basic daily activities such as cooking, water supply, and internet and telephone services have also been impacted.
Residents in Havana have become accustomed to the frequent power outages. "These blackouts are normal in Cuba now. If something else happened, it would be strange," said Roberto Liana, a 69-year-old retail store clerk. Many are adapting by improvising solutions, with some families installing solar backup systems and utilizing electric motorcycles and tricycles equipped with photovoltaic power for transportation.
Cuba produces only 40% of the fuel it requires, and the U.S. oil embargo has intensified the island's economic and financial crisis. The threat of tariffs by the U.S. on countries providing oil to Cuba has further complicated efforts to secure fuel imports.