Cuba was plunged into a second nationwide blackout on Saturday morning, exacerbating the country’s growing energy crisis. The Cuba Electrical Union announced the outage at 6:15 a.m., stating on its official Telegram channel that efforts were underway to restore power. This followed initial reports that power was being gradually reconnected across the island, though there were no specific numbers provided on how many homes or areas had regained electricity.
Many Cubans reported brief moments of restored power before being plunged back into darkness. The blackouts have created a deeper strain on the nation, leaving millions without essential services such as running water and refrigeration, causing perishable goods to spoil.
Cuba’s aging electrical grid has suffered repeated collapses in recent days, triggering a nationwide blackout earlier in the week. Cuban officials have pointed to a combination of factors, including intensified U.S. sanctions, recent hurricanes, and the deteriorating infrastructure, as contributing causes to the crisis.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz addressed the nation in a televised broadcast that was delayed due to technical problems. He acknowledged the gravity of the situation, explaining that the government had halted much of the country’s limited production to divert energy to the population. “We have been paralyzing economic activity to generate [power] for the population,” Marrero Cruz stated.
Health Minister José Angel Portal Miranda assured citizens that health facilities were running on backup generators, and that healthcare workers were continuing to provide vital services despite the outages.
In Havana, the blackout has left the streets without traffic lights, forcing motorists to navigate in the absence of proper signals. Police officers have taken up the task of directing traffic at key intersections. While some homes and businesses rely on generators to cope with the power outages, the majority of Cubans cannot afford such a luxury.
To further conserve energy, the government has canceled school classes through the weekend, shut down nightclubs and recreational facilities, and limited work attendance to essential personnel. These measures were detailed on the state-run news website Cubadebate as part of an effort to manage the ongoing energy crisis.