Nearly 60% of Cuba to Lose Power Simultaneously Amid Energy Crisis

Cuba is grappling with a critical energy shortage, projected to leave 59% of the nation without electricity simultaneously during peak demand hours on Saturday. This marks the latest severe disruption in an ongoing energy crisis that has plagued the island since mid-2024.

The situation has been significantly worsened since January by U.S. oil sanctions, which the Cuban government has condemned as "genocidal." Havana accuses the U.S. administration of deliberately "strangling" the island's economy through these measures. The government describes the current state as "critical," with recent blackouts in Havana exceeding 26 consecutive hours, and outages lasting up to two full days in other parts of the country.

According to the state-run Unión Eléctrica (UNE), the expected power generation capacity for peak demand is 1,270 megawatts (MW), while demand is projected to reach 3,050 MW. This creates a deficit of 1,780 MW, leading to an estimated disconnection of 1,810 MW to prevent uncontrolled grid collapse. Compounding the issue is the obsolescence of Cuba's thermoelectric power plants, many of which are decades old and lack necessary investment, resulting in frequent breakdowns.

Currently, eight of the sixteen thermoelectric generation units are offline due to breakdowns or maintenance. While U.S. pressure has forced the shutdown of diesel and fuel oil-dependent generation engines, responsible for another 40% of the energy mix, due to a lack of imported fuel, the remaining 20% comes from gas and renewable sources. Independent studies suggest that $8 to $10 billion is needed to revitalize Cuba's energy system. This energy crisis is a major contributor to the island's economic woes, with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (Cepal) forecasting a 6.5% contraction in Cuba's GDP for 2026, adding to a cumulative decline of over 15% between 2020 and 2025.