Cuba faces widespread blackouts as energy crisis deepens

Cuba is bracing for another day of extensive power outages, with the state-run Electric Union (UNE) forecasting that 67% of the country will experience simultaneous blackouts during peak demand hours on Tuesday. This marks the second consecutive day of widespread disruptions.

The Caribbean nation has been grappling with a severe energy crisis since mid-2024. The situation has intensified since January due to what the Cuban government describes as a "genocidal" oil blockade by the United States, which it accuses of "strangling" the island.

Daily electricity supply for Cuba's 9.5 million residents has dwindled to a maximum of two hours. Power cuts in Havana now exceed 20 consecutive hours daily, while other provinces have faced outages surpassing 48 hours. The government itself has acknowledged the situation as "critical."

The UNE reports a projected generation capacity of 1,020 megawatts against a maximum demand of 3,000 megawatts for Tuesday, resulting in a deficit of 1,980 MW. The estimated power to be disconnected, to prevent uncontrolled blackouts, stands at 2,010 MW.

Compounding the crisis is the obsolescence of Cuba's thermoelectric power plants, many decades old and lacking necessary investment. Ten out of 16 generation units are currently offline. These plants, which rely on domestic crude and are not directly affected by U.S. oil sanctions, account for 40% of the energy mix. Another 40% comes from distributed generation using diesel and fuel oil, which is heavily impacted by the U.S. sanctions, leading to fuel shortages. The remaining 20% is derived from gas and renewable sources, with a recent push for solar energy supported by China. Cuba requires approximately 100,000 barrels of oil daily, with only 40,000 produced domestically. In an effort to find alternatives, authorities recently announced the successful refining of 20,000 tons of heavy national crude within Cuba.