Cuba Struggles to Restore Power Following Second Nationwide Grid Collapse

Cuba is grappling with an unprecedented energy crisis as the country's national electrical grid suffered its second collapse in 24 hours, state-run media reported. Efforts to restore power to millions of Cubans were underway, though the process has been slow and fraught with challenges.

Lázaro Guerra, Cuba's top electricity official, addressed the situation on Saturday morning, explaining that a malfunction in the western part of the island had disrupted the reconnection of three critical power plants. This issue temporarily halted the restoration progress, forcing technicians to restart the process. Guerra cautioned that while significant strides were expected by the end of the day, there was no guarantee that the system would be fully operational.

CubaDebate, a state media outlet, described the situation as a "total disconnection of the national electro-energetic system," although Guerra stopped short of confirming a complete grid failure, leading to some uncertainty about the extent of the damage. The first collapse occurred midday on Friday when one of Cuba's largest power plants unexpectedly went offline, leaving over 10 million people without electricity.

This latest crisis follows weeks of worsening blackouts across the island, with outages lasting 10 to 20 hours a day in many areas. The Cuban government had already been forced to conserve energy by sending non-essential state workers home and suspending school classes in an effort to preserve fuel. Though some areas saw power briefly restored on Friday evening, the overall situation remains dire.

The root causes of Cuba’s energy woes include deteriorating infrastructure, fuel shortages, and surging demand, according to officials. Hurricane Milton, which hit the island last week, exacerbated these issues by delaying the delivery of scarce fuel supplies to power plants. Cuba's fuel deliveries have dwindled significantly this year, as traditional suppliers like Venezuela, Russia, and Mexico have reduced exports to the island. In particular, Venezuela, a key ally, has slashed its subsidized fuel deliveries by half, forcing Cuba to turn to the more expensive spot market for oil.

Cuban authorities have also pointed to the U.S. trade embargo and sanctions imposed under former President Donald Trump as significant obstacles to acquiring the necessary fuel and spare parts for the island’s oil-fired power plants. With no immediate solution in sight, the government faces mounting pressure to find a way to stabilize the national grid and alleviate the widespread power outages.

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