Cubans left in the dark in another massive power outage

world
Cubans Left In The Dark In Another Massive Power Outage
A woman illuminates her plate of food with her phone’s flashlight on a street during a general blackout in Havana, © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Share this article

By Associated Press Reporter

Cuba suffered a massive power outage on Friday night which affected Havana and the country’s provinces and left millions in the dark.

Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines said at around 8.15pm local time a power outage at the Diezmero substation on the outskirts of Havana had caused “a significant loss of generation in western Cuba and, with it, the failure of the National Electric System”.

Advertisement

The ministry said on its account on the social platform X that it is “working on the recovery process”.

The streets of Havana were dark and empty with light coming only from the windows of hotels that had generators.


A resident walks on a street during the blackout in Havana
A resident walks on a street during the blackout in Havana (Ramon Espinosa/AP)

People in provinces as far away as Guantanamo, Artemisa, Santiago de Cuba, and Santa Clara reported experiencing blackouts with just flickers of light.

Earlier, the Electric Union, the state agency that regulates the sector, said in its daily report that peak-hour demand would be around 3,250 megawatts and the deficit would reach around 1,380 megawatts, meaning 42% of the national energy system would be shut down. This figure is not the highest in recent memory.

Advertisement

Cuba suffered three widespread outages in its national energy system at the end of last year, leaving the island in the dark amid a serious economic crisis.

Cuba’s power grid has been plagued by frequent outages in recent months, with more than half of the country experiencing power cuts during peak hours. The outages are primarily caused by fuel shortages and ageing infrastructure.

In many parts of the island, electricity is crucial for cooking and water pumping.

Read More

Want us to email you top stories each lunch time?

Download our Apps