Cuba Gradually and Partially Restores Electricity After New National Blackout

Cuba's electrical system is undergoing a gradual reconnection following a nationwide collapse on Friday, marking the second such event in under a week and the fourth this year. The blackout left more than nine million Cubans without power. The Ministry of Energy and Mines (Minem) reported that micro-generation systems are now active in all provinces to ensure essential services in critical facilities like hospitals and water supply points. A key priority is reactivating the Energás Boca de Jaruco plant in Mayabeque province to begin the startup process for thermoelectric power plants. In Havana, where approximately two million people reside, service restoration has reached 12.6%, benefiting 108,608 out of 787,000 customers, according to the state company Unión Eléctrica. Restoring the national grid is a slow and complex procedure that can take days, involving the gradual generation of power from simple sources like solar and hydroelectricity to serve small areas before interconnecting them. The ultimate goal is to supply enough energy to the thermoelectric plants, the backbone of Cuba's electricity generation, enabling them to produce power in large quantities to meet demand. The Minem attributed Friday's total system failure to a fault in a 220-kilovolt line between Santa Clara and Sancti Spíritus, which caused the grid to divide and several thermal units to go offline. At the time of the blackout, eleven of the sixteen thermoelectric generation units were already offline due to breakdowns or maintenance. The previous system failure on Monday was resolved about 36 hours later, on Wednesday, when all provinces were reconnected. Cuba has been facing a severe energy crisis since mid-2024, exacerbated by a U.S. oil blockade imposed in January, leading to unprecedented power outages. In recent weeks, record-breaking blackouts have occurred, with up to 70-72% of the country disconnected simultaneously during peak demand. Two national blackouts also happened in March within a single week.