For many cubbs, a fan’s sudden stop is more than just one annoyance on a tropical island; It is an important, daily reminder of the nationwide problem. On an average day, the Cuba government can meet only 50 to 70 percent of its country’s power needs. At its top, the entire grid of Cuba has fallen four times in the last six months.
The problem stems from years of neglect of Cuba’s energy infrastructure, which fails for constrained access to foreign capital and suit new energy options. As a result, cubbons are experiencing an important breakdown in basic services, such as storage of fresh products, preparation of basic food, public lighting and access to businesses. This has forced citizens to take extraordinary measures, such as cooking several meals at a time and working by flashlight.
Cuba is not just in an energy crisis; The country’s grid sits on the verge of systemic failure. The national electrical system, most of which was created after 1959, has not required investment and maintenance for 35 years – the result of Cuba’s complex political and economic history. If the neglect continues, the island nation will further pay the high price of economic decline, and will increase social and political instability.
How did my country get here?
Cuba’s energy infrastructure crisis
Cuba’s grid infrastructure is so weak that transmission line failures and generators are getting widespread outages from run-of-the-mill problems such as travel trips. The unexpected shutdown of the Antonio Guitrus oil -powered power plant started the total blackout in October 2024. A healthy grid should be able to detect and separate these types of issues, and provide backups through the underlying excess. But Cuba’s old security system could not detect defects and did not have enough spinning reserves to compensate for generation, which made recovery impossible.
Reducing blackout is three systemic problems: year of insufficient investment, substandard fuel, and deferred maintenance. Cuba’s aging thermal power plant – the backbone of the system, which walks on almost all crude oil or fuel oil – are becoming less reliable, and should be well -run below the capacity due to fuel deficiency and rust. One of the largest, 330-Magawat Antonio Guitrus plant, often breaks down, because there are not enough replacement parts to fix it. Other features have been killed with adverse events, such as 2022 fire in Lidio Ramon Perez (Felton) and Meximo Gomez (Marrial) thermal plants. During the first five months of 2025, only 34 percent of the capacity of all power plants of Cuba based on 2023 numbers was available on average daily basis.
Cuba’s energy system also suffers from the years of domestic, poor quality heavy crude oil, which is corrosive because it is high in sulfur. This has accelerated the wearing and tears on boilers, turbines and pipes in Cuban power plants, shortening their lifetime and constantly and expensive outage. Cuba has obtained sufficient amount of oil from Venezuela since 2000 through a favorable agreement. But the continuous economic problems of Venezuela have made this oil source less reliable, declining shipments in recent years.
To help compensate for power shortage, Cuba started renting floating thermal power plant from other countries like Türkiye in 2019 CarpovershipBy 2023, this type of eight ships were floating in Mariel Bay, Havana Bay and Santiago de Cuba Bay. But his fate is now another symptom of crisis. The government had trouble paying high leasing prices, so the operators of the ships were removed from Cuban’s water, taking them to hundreds of MW.
Cuba’s renewable energy option
Heavy crude oil is not the only resource in Cuba; It has a treasure of unused renewable energy options including solar, wind and potentially sugarcane biomass. But the infection for renewal has slowly moved forward and Somewhat randomlyDespite the ambitious goals set by the government.
Important renewable energy projects are often delayed due to bureaucratic obstacles and lack of funds. The instability of the grid makes it more challenging to integrate renewable energy installations, as they require stable connections to effectively function. And when the country actively looks for solar energy, it is ignoring its once rich Chinese region, and biomass and ethanol resources coming with it.
The Surprising decision of the Cuba government to increase heavy investments in the construction of expensive hotels and ignore the required grid updates has also made the system more weak the system to make heavy investments in the infrastructure. Since 2010 and 2024, Cuba spent According to Cuba’s National Statistics Office, about 32 percent of the total investment on tourism related infrastructure and only 12 percent on energy infrastructure.
Cuba’s economy is in the poor state due to its economic model and well -established disabilities of American restrictions that previously deteriorated and lived on a large scale under the Trump administration. As a result, the government lacks difficult currency required to import gasoline, acquiring spare parts required, reaching the latest technology and drawing significant foreign investment that is necessary to upgrade their energy infrastructure.
Cuba’s power outage and rationing breeds resentment
The Cuba government reacted its severe deficit with striking public function. Every morning, usually between 7:00 and 8:00, the authorities openly declare the lack of anticipated power generation. Then, the provincial leaders across the island choose from laborious which community will lose power and how long average 19 hours, and some more than 24 hours.
Daily power shortage in Cuba is at a distance of about 1600 MW in 2025, which is according to data compiled from the daily press release from the state -owned state -owned company Union Eultrica (UNE). Cuba’s four recent grid collapse data was excluded.
Blackouts for these “interportable circuits”, as provincial electric companies mention them, are on a schedule basis. But the availability of actual electricity almost always decreases with the plan, so rotation is not done according to the intention. And some services and businesses are being given priority for power, a proportionless part of the outage falls on a part of the customers.
The capital, capital, due to its political and economic importance, is partially preserved. It is a bias that reduces resentment in other areas. But even in Havana, on the obstructed circuit, residents should struggle with at least four hours of power outage every day – a situation that has deteriorated this year.
In both city and rural areas, power outage and prolonged uncertainty have changed basic services, economies and daily lives. The refrigerators lose their cooling power, which waste valuable food purchased at a high price. Businesses should close, resulting in revenue and productivity. Students struggle to study when their phone batteries are low, in part because they use their phone as a flashlight. Some medical features have backup generators, but they are not always operational due to lack of spare parts. Internet connectivity has become less reliable.
Cuba’s recovery plan
The Cuba administration has admitted that the situation is serious and specific has developed recovery Scheme ofThese include investing in thermal plant maintenance, adding new capacity, adding solar energy and securing fuel supply from abroad. However, progress is gradual and limited by similar problems, which caused crisis in the first place.
To cure thermal units, it is mandatory to bring major power providers, such as Guits and Sienfugos, back into a state where they can re -work again. However, this method is the same to patch a dam that is separating. Long -term corrections are more important than only repair, but they require resources that are not currently available.
There are policies that encourage roof solar, which people usually buy from other countries. Small solar parks are also being built; The solar capacity reached 298 MW at the end of 2024. Pilot projects are going on for Pawan farms.
Angel Rodriguez uses a transformer from an old television to charge a battery in preparation for a blackout at his home in the Bahia neighborhood of Cuba on May 26, 2025.Ramon aspinosa/AP
But development lacks scale and speed. Larger projects often struggle with financial hurdles and inadequate plans. The government set a target of obtaining 37 percent of Cuba’s energy from renewable sources by 2030; So far they have reached only 3 percent.
Cuba is actively participating internationally at the energy initiative. Agreements with Russia mainly focus on modernizing existing thermal features and possibly creating new people. Mexico and other colleagues have also helped by sending fuel supply.
The conversation with potential investors for green projects is moving forward, but the investment climate of investment is quite difficult due to Cuba’s economic model and crisis, the history of omission on paying to foreign companies, and the US restrictions. In partnership with China, Cuba is building 2,000 MW solar capacity in over 92 solar parks across the country. China already sent Cuba equipment for more than 100 MW solar capacity through a separate program. By January 2026, according to the Cuba government, about 1,100 MW of this new capacity is expected to be operational.
As the primary power grid fails, cubbons with resources are taking matters into their own hands, often in desperate ways. Business, hospitals and rich families are installing gasoline and solar generators; Constant noise has become part of the city’s soundscape. Some communities are working together to install solar and battery systems. For example, A Farmers cooperative In this way, its processing and irrigation facilities in Artemisa provide strength. These examples show an important, down-up change, but they are some more far away due to prohibitive advance costs.
The people of Cuba are suffering because the energy system is being pushed far away. And the comprehensive changes required for real, long -term recovery are currently beyond the capabilities of the island. The lights came back after each major blackout, but the next one loom viewers continuously.
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