Millions in Cuba faced a significant blackout on Saturday after a failure in the electric grid plunged the island into darkness the previous night. This outage marks the fourth time in six months that the country has experienced such a widespread blackout, exacerbating the ongoing economic crisis affecting the Caribbean nation. According to the Ministry of Energy and Mines, the power failure originated from a substation malfunction in Havana’s suburbs.
Internet and telephone services became sporadic following the blackout, which began around 8 PM local time on Friday. In response, President Miguel DÃaz-Canel stated on X that efforts are underway to restore the power system’s stability. Lázaro Guerra, the electricity director at the ministry, announced on national television that power generation had resumed to support critical services, including hospitals.
The Cuban Electricity Union released a strategy to create interconnected “microsystems” across the country for the gradual restoration of electricity. Some of these systems are already functioning in provinces such as Guantánamo, Santiago, Las Tunas, and Pinar del RÃo. In Sancti SpÃritus, the local energy company reported over 200,000 customers had regained power thanks to these initiatives.
The blackout raised significant concerns for many Cuban households that rely on electricity to prepare meals, leading to the risk of food spoilage in refrigerators due to the island’s warm climate. One resident, Cecilia Duquense, expressed frustration when she lost power just as she was about to cook dinner. In Havana, while some businesses remained open, many operated using batteries or small generators, and locals rushed to purchase food supplies amid worries about the perishability of items in their fridges.
Gas stations remained operational, but the undersea tunnel linking Havana to its outskirts was without power. This recent incident follows similar blackouts experienced by Cubans in the latter half of 2022 and early 2023, with the latest blackout marking the first of 2025. Earlier this year, authorities suspended work and school for two days due to an electricity generation crisis.
Experts attribute the ongoing electricity disruptions to ageing infrastructure and fuel shortages at power plants, many of which have been in use for over three decades. These outages are part of broader struggles faced by Cubans during a severe economic crisis, which analysts highlight as being significantly influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, inflationary domestic policies, and intensified sanctions from the United States.