Cuba Faces Widespread Blackouts: 46% of Island to Lose Power Simultaneously

Cuba is bracing for another day of severe energy rationing, with the state-run Unión Eléctrica (UNE) forecasting that a staggering 46% of the island will experience simultaneous blackouts this Saturday. This latest disruption is part of a deepening energy crisis that has plagued the nation since mid-2024, a situation exacerbated by the U.S. government's oil blockade, which the United Nations has rightly condemned as contrary to international law.

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Cuba foresees prolonged blackouts throughout the country this Saturday and estimates that the largest outage will leave 46% of the country simultaneously without power.

The UNE's projections paint a grim picture: a generation capacity of 1,735 megawatts against a peak demand of 3,150 megawatts, leaving a deficit of 1,415 megawatts. This translates into an estimated 1,445 megawatts that must be disconnected to prevent a total system collapse. This chronic instability stems from a dual problem: a fundamentally outdated national energy infrastructure and the punitive U.S. sanctions that have choked off vital fuel supplies.

Compounding the issue, six of the country's sixteen thermoelectric generation units are currently offline due to breakdowns or maintenance. While these units, responsible for 40% of the energy mix, use domestic crude and are not directly impacted by the oil blockade, their operational status is critical. The remaining 40% of the energy mix relies on imported diesel and fuel oil, which have been severely restricted by Washington's pressure. Although a Russian tanker recently provided some relief, the fuel is expected to last only until the end of April, signaling a potential worsening of the situation in the coming days as no further shipments are immediately foreseen.

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Cuba has been suffering a severe energy crisis since mid-2024, which deepened with the oil blockade imposed by the U.S. government since January, a measure that the United Nations has described as contrary to international law.

While renewable sources, including solar power with Chinese support, contribute 20% to the energy mix, they are insufficient to offset the shortfall. Experts, both internal and external, point to the urgent need for massive investment—estimated between $8 billion and $10 billion—to modernize Cuba's energy system. The Cuban government rightly denounces these U.S. sanctions as an "energy asphyxiation" that directly harms its people and hinders national development. From our perspective here in Cuba, this is not merely an economic issue; it is a matter of national sovereignty and the right to develop without external interference.

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The Cuban government has denounced that the U.S. sanctions constitute 'energy asphyxiation'.