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Cuba power outage update: When will complete blackout end? Scary videos emerge
Cuba was plunged into a complete blackout after the country’s national electric grid collapsed, cutting power to roughly 10 million people
Cuba was plunged into a complete blackout on Monday after the country’s national electric grid collapsed, cutting power to roughly 10 million people across the island. Authorities said the failure is the latest sign of a deepening energy crisis tied to fuel shortages and the country’s aging power infrastructure.
State-run grid operator Unión Eléctrica (UNE) said it was investigating the cause of the nationwide blackout.
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Severe generation deficit
In a press release detailing the condition of the National Electric System (SEN), UNE said the island had already been facing major power shortages even before the full collapse of the grid.
“Yesterday, service was affected by a capacity deficit for 24 hours, and the disruption continued into the early hours of this morning,” the utility said in an update issued March 16.
According to the operator, the maximum shortfall in generation reached 1,891 megawatts at 7:20 PM Sunday, exceeding planned estimates because electricity demand was higher than forecast.
Current grid conditions
UNE reported that as of 6:00 AM Monday, the system had only 1,140 megawatts of available generation capacity against 2,347 megawatts of demand, leaving 1,220 megawatts of electricity demand unmet.
Authorities warned the situation could worsen during the evening peak period.
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“With this forecast, a peak availability of 1220 MW is expected with a maximum demand of 3150 MW, for a deficit of 1930 MW, so if the expected conditions are maintained, an impact of 1960 MW is predicted during this time,” UNE said.
Officials estimate roughly 1,250 megawatts of demand will be affected during peak hours, meaning widespread outages are likely to continue.
Power plants offline
Several major thermal power units remain out of service due to breakdowns and maintenance work.
UNE said the following units were out of operation due to breakdowns:
Unit 5 of the Mariel thermoelectric plant
Units 2 and 3 of the Santa Cruz plant
Unit 2 of the Felton plant
Units 3 and 6 of the Antonio Maceo plant
Additional plants are offline for scheduled maintenance, including:
Unit 6 of the Mariel plant
Unit 5 of the Nuevitas plant
Unit 4 of the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes plant in Cienfuegos
Officials said 492 megawatts of thermal generation capacity are currently unavailable because of technical limitations.
Authorities expect Unit 4 of the Cienfuegos plant, capable of producing 80 megawatts, to return to service to help ease the shortage.
Solar generation contribution
UNE said the country’s 52 photovoltaic solar parks produced 4,262 megawatt-hours of energy, with a maximum generation capacity of 732 megawatts during peak solar production hours.
However, solar output alone has not been sufficient to stabilize the grid.
When will power come back?
The outage is part of a growing pattern of widespread electricity failures that have frequently lasted hours or even days in recent months, reflecting the severe strain on the country’s power system. There is no timeline as of now.
Fuel shortages deepen crisis
The collapse comes amid worsening fuel shortages that have crippled Cuba’s aging power infrastructure.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said last week the country had not received a shipment of fuel in three months, leaving power plants struggling to operate.
The crisis intensified this year after geopolitical tensions involving Cuba’s key ally Venezuela.
Following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro earlier this year, the United States tightened pressure on Havana. President Donald Trump cut off Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba and warned that Washington could impose tariffs on any country selling oil to the island.
Those measures have severely limited the fuel supply needed to operate the country’s thermoelectric plants.
Talks with the United States
Facing mounting economic and energy pressure, Cuban officials said last week they had entered into talks with the United States in hopes of easing the crisis.
Trump has repeatedly suggested that Cuba’s government is nearing collapse and has signaled interest in negotiating with the island nation.
For now, the widespread blackout highlights the fragile state of Cuba’s power grid as authorities struggle to restore electricity and stabilize the country’s energy supply.
(With Reuters inputs)
