Cuban state electricity company said it is “verifying the causes” of the incident
Cuba’s national electrical system suffered a new partial blackout, affecting approximately 3.4 million people in four provinces in the east of the island (Holguín, Granma, Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo), confirmed the state company Unión Eléctrica.
According to the company, the interruption was due to a 220 kilovolt (kV) high voltage line in the province of Holguín, which suddenly shut down.
The incident, the company explained, led to the closure of the Felton thermoelectric plant, the largest energy generator in eastern Cuba, as well as another plant and a substation in the same province.
This is the second partial blackout of Cuba’s national electricity system in just over four months and occurs at a time of serious energy crisis, worsened by the oil embargo imposed by the North American government, which threatens to worsen the already critical situation.
However, Wednesday’s blackout appears to be related to chronic problems with the country’s electrical infrastructure, as did another partial outage in October, also caused by a power overload.
The Cuban state electricity company said it was “verifying the causes” of the incident.
Since mid-2024, the island has been facing a serious energy crisis, reflected in daily blackouts that exceed 8 pm in all locations.
On January 31, Cuba experienced the biggest blackout since it began regularly publishing energy statistics in 2022, which left 63% of the country without power at the same time.
Seven of Cuba’s 16 thermoelectric plants – which represent approximately 40% of the country’s energy generation – are out of service due to breakdowns or maintenance, including two of the three largest.
Since mid-January, Unión Eléctrica’s daily reports have stopped specifying the number of plants that are inoperative due to lack of fuel.
Independent experts point out that the Cuban energy crisis stems from the chronic underfinancing of the sector, which has been completely state-owned since the 1959 revolution.
Various independent estimates suggest that between eight and ten billion dollars (between 6.8 and 6.5 billion euros) would be needed to stabilize the electrical system.
Prolonged daily blackouts are harming the economy, which has contracted more than 15% since 2020, according to official data, and have been the catalyst for the main protests in recent years.
On Wednesday, the UN Secretary-General’s spokesman said that António Guterres is “extremely concerned” about the humanitarian situation in Cuba, “which will worsen, or even collapse” if the country’s oil needs are not met.
After suspending the shipment of Venezuelan oil to Cuba following the capture of Nicolás Maduro in early January, US President Donald Trump last week issued an executive order that allows the United States to impose tariffs on countries that sell oil to Havana.
On Sunday, the North American President stated that the United States had started a dialogue with the Cuban Government and said he foresees “an agreement” with Havana.
