More than half of Cuba, including the capital Havana, was plunged into darkness after the national electrical transmission system suddenly failed due to a malfunction at the main thermal power plant. The communist government of Cuba faces intense challenges as the U.S. administration under Donald Trump escalates pressure by cutting oil supply routes from Venezuela and Mexico, pushing the energy crisis to its worst point in years.
Union Electrica, Cuba’s state-owned electricity company, reported that the widespread blackout began on Wednesday, 4 Mar 2020 GMT+7, following an unexpected failure at the Antonio Guiteras thermal power plant located about 100 kilometers east of Havana.
This failure caused power outages spanning from Pinar del Río province in the west to Camagüey province in the upper central region. The eastern province of Las Tunas was also affected by station malfunctions, leaving only a few provinces at the island’s far eastern end still powered.
Román Pérez, the technical director of the Guiteras power plant, disclosed that engineers are urgently repairing the steam boilers and sealing leaks in the system. The restoration is expected to take at least three to four days. The outage was severe enough to briefly interrupt Cuba’s national television broadcast, delaying news programming by over half an hour.
This power crisis compounds Cuba’s chronic energy problems and fuel shortages, partly driven by U.S. government pressure aimed at limiting oil exports to Cuba. The situation worsened after the U.S. intervened to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in early January, immediately cutting off Cuba’s primary crude oil supply source.
Meanwhile, Mexico, which had served as an alternative oil supplier, also suspended shipments to Cuba after U.S. threats of retaliatory tariffs. The Cuban government stated that decades-long U.S. economic sanctions have left the country unable to fund essential maintenance of its aging electrical infrastructure.
Although Havana residents are accustomed to state-mandated power rationing, this major blackout disrupted daily life, affecting traffic signals, businesses, and communications. State television had to postpone afternoon news broadcasts due to the power failure.
The energy crisis has forced the government to limit some public services, such as waste collection and transportation. Meanwhile, some citizens have begun installing solar panels or using generators to cope with energy shortages and rising fuel prices.