On Saturday morning, Cuba was still facing a major power outage due to a collapse in the grid that happened the night before. This incident left around 10 million people without electricity and raised concerns about the effectiveness of the country’s outdated power generation system.
The grid operator, UNE, reported that they were only able to produce a minimal amount of electricity at sunrise, generating about 225 MW, which is less than 10% of the total demand. This limited supply was prioritized for essential services such as hospitals, water facilities, and food production centers.
Officials said they had begun the process of firing up the country’s decades-old generation plants, but gave no timeline for restoring service.
The breakdown in Cuba’s grid occurred on Friday evening at 8:15 p.m. (0015 GMT) when an old component of a transmission line in a Havana substation malfunctioned, triggering a series of events that led to a complete shutdown of power generation across the entire island, according to UNE officials.
People walk on the street during a national electrical grid collapse, in Havana, Cuba, March 14, 2025. (REUTERS/Norlys Perez)
The grid collapse follows a string of nationwide blackouts late last year that plunged Cuba’s frail power generating system into near-total disarray, stressed by fuel shortages, natural disaster and economic crisis.
Most Cubans outside the country’s capital of Havana have already been living for months with rolling blackouts that peaked at 20 hours a day in recent weeks.
Havana was still largely without electricity on Saturday morning. Light traffic navigated intersections with no functioning stoplights and cellular internet was weak or non-existent in some areas.
Abel Bonne chatted with friends on Havana’s Malecon waterfront boulevard early Saturday, taking in the fresh sea breeze after a stuffy night without power.
“Right now, no one knows when the power will come back on,” he said. “This is the first time this had happened this year, but last year it happened three times.”
Severe shortages of food, medicine and water have made life increasingly unbearable for many Cubans, and people have been fleeing the island in recent years in record-breaking numbers.
Cuba blames its economic woes on a Cold War-era U.S. trade embargo, a web of laws and regulations that complicate financial transactions and the acquisition of essentials like fuel and spare parts.
A grid official on Saturday morning said Cuba had been unable to update antiquated transmission and generation components because of the restrictions.
U.S. President Donald Trump recently tightened sanctions on the island’s communist-run government, vowing to restore a “tough” policy toward the long-time U.S. foe.
Havana resident Yunior Reyes, a bike taxi driver, was back on the job Saturday morning despite the blackout, fretting that his food reserves might spoil in the day’s heat.
“We’re all in the same situation,” he said. “It’s a lot of work.”
