Cubans remain without power for third day after failed repair attempts

Cubans remain without power for third day after failed repair attempts

Millions of Cubans were forced to leave on Sunday for the third day in a row without electricity after new attempts to restore electricity failed overnight.

Energy supply in Cuba faces enormous challenges

The Cuban Electricity Union reported that about 16% of the country had power restored as the aging power grid became overloaded again late Saturday evening. There was no official information on when electricity could be fully restored.

Widespread impact of nationwide power outages

This marks the third complete collapse of Cuba's energy grid since Friday, and most of the country's 10 million residents have been without power since then. Efforts to restore power supplies are being further complicated by the arrival of Hurricane Oscar in eastern Cuba, which is expected to bring heavy winds and high waves.

The first nationwide power outages

The first widespread power outage occurred on Friday, when one of the country's major power plants failed, according to the Energy Department. Hours after officials said power was slowly being restored, a second nationwide blackout occurred Saturday morning.

Consequences for the population and the infrastructure

The power outages threaten to plunge the communist-run country into a deeper crisis. The water supply and keeping food fresh depend on a reliable energy supply. Many people used WhatsApp to share information about which areas still had power, while others tried to store medicine in the refrigerators of people who briefly had power - or were lucky enough to have a generator.

Life in Havana under the blackouts

In Havana, residents waited for hours to buy a few loaves at the few places that sold bread. As the bread sold out, discussions escalated about who was left out in the queue. Many wondered where were Cuba's traditional allies, such as Venezuela, Russia and Mexico, which had previously supplied the island with much-needed oil tankers to keep the lights on.

Tourism and the state of infrastructure

Despite the blackouts, tourists could still be seen driving down Havana's main streets in classic 1950s cars, even as many hotel generators ran out of gas. A foreign visitor told CNN that Havana's José Martí International Airport was running on emergency power only, causing ticket printers to not work and air conditioning in the terminal to fail.

Causes of the energy crisis

Cuban officials blamed the energy crisis on a combination of factors, including tightened U.S. economic sanctions, disruptions from recent hurricanes and the dilapidated state of the island's infrastructure. In a televised address on Thursday that was delayed due to technical problems, Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz said much limited production had been halted to avoid leaving the population completely without power. “We are paralyzing economic activities to generate (electricity) for the population,” he said.

Health care and protests

The country's Health Minister, José Angel Portal Miranda, said on Friday on X that the island's health facilities rely on generators and health workers continue to provide vital services. Two smaller protests were reportedly observed on Saturday night and Sunday night, while videos of protests in other parts of the capital circulated on social media.

The situation remains tense and the population hopes that the electricity supply will soon improve.