DistantNews
Support us
🇰🇷 South Korea /Disasters & Emergencies

Cuba restores power grid to most areas after blackout, but millions still face outages

From Dong-A Ilbo · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency Outcome reported
  • Cuba has restored the national power grid to most areas following a nationwide blackout, but millions still face power outages due to severe generation shortages.
  • The state electricity company UNE reported reconnecting the grid from Pinar del Rio to Holguin, though Santiago de Cuba remains disconnected.
  • The country is experiencing an energy crisis marked by aging infrastructure and fuel scarcity, with current power generation meeting less than a third of demand.

Cuban authorities announced that the national power grid has been reconnected to most regions after a widespread blackout, yet millions of residents continue to endure power cuts due to a critical deficit in electricity generation. The state-run electricity company, UNE, stated that the grid was re-established from the western province of Pinar del Rio to Holguin in the east.

However, the city of Santiago de Cuba, the nation's second-largest, remains disconnected from the main grid and is still experiencing outages. In the capital, Havana, power supply has been restored to about two-thirds of the city, though extensive blackouts occurred earlier. The specific cause of the nationwide outage on July 6 remains unclear.

The power outage problem doesn't seem like it will be resolved quickly. The power plants are old, and there's no fuel.

— unnamed residentA resident describes the persistent energy crisis in Cuba.

This incident marks the third nationwide blackout in Cuba this year. The island nation of approximately 10 million people is grappling with an ongoing energy crisis, characterized by aging power infrastructure and persistent fuel shortages, leading to frequent and prolonged power interruptions. Residents in Havana have become accustomed to outages lasting over 30 hours, facing sweltering heat and mosquitoes.

One resident expressed pessimism, stating, "The power outage problem doesn't seem like it will be resolved quickly. The power plants are old, and there's no fuel." The energy crisis is further complicated by diplomatic tensions surrounding U.S. sanctions. Cuba and the United Nations have criticized the Trump administration's sanctions as violations of international law and human rights. While dialogue between the U.S. and Cuba is stalled, the UN General Assembly is set to discuss the issue at Cuba's request. The U.S. ambassador to the UN, however, countered that the Cuban government is responsible for its power shortages, urging it to "change course and turn the lights back on for its people."

change course and turn the lights back on for its people.

— Mike WaltzThe US ambassador to the UN criticizes the Cuban government's handling of the energy crisis.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dong-A Ilbo in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog