Havana: A large power blackout has affected much of Cuba after a major electricity generation facility stopped operating unexpectedly, leaving several provinces without power.
State electric utility Union Electrica UNE has said that the outage began after a failure at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, located about 100 kilometres east of Havana. The plant is considered one of the country’s key power stations and its shutdown has disrupted electricity supply across wide parts of the island.
Electricity has been cut from the western province of Pinar del Rio through the capital Havana and extending to Camaguey in central eastern Cuba. In the eastern province of Las Tunas, substations have also malfunctioned, worsening the power blackout and leaving only the far eastern provinces with a stable electricity supply.
Technical teams have begun repair work at the Guiteras generating station. Regional newspaper Giron has reported that technical director Roman Perez said that repairs could take between three and four days to complete. The work has focused on reducing water consumption and fixing faults in the boiler system, including leaks in the superheater equipment.
Cuba has faced several electricity disruptions in recent years, with the national power grid struggling to maintain stable output. The country’s government has attributed the energy challenges partly to long standing economic sanctions imposed by the United States, which officials have said have limited investment in power infrastructure and electricity generation.
The situation has become more complex after oil shipments to Cuba have declined. Fuel supplies from Venezuela, one of the country’s main partners, have been affected after political tensions escalated earlier in the year. The United States has increased pressure on countries supplying oil to Cuba, which has further tightened energy availability on the island.
Mexico, which has served as an alternative oil supplier in the past, has indicated that oil shipments could be halted after warnings of possible tariffs from the United States on countries exporting fuel to Cuba.
Despite the disruption caused by the power blackout, many residents in Havana have continued daily activities. Rolling electricity cuts have already been common due to rationing measures, and some traffic lights and businesses have remained operational using solar panels or backup generators.
Cuba’s energy ministry has confirmed that the Felton 1 thermoelectric plant in Holguin province has remained operational during the outage, helping maintain electricity supply in parts of eastern Cuba.
Fuel shortages have also affected other essential services across the country. Authorities have introduced rationing measures that have reduced transportation services and limited waste collection operations. Some households have responded by installing solar panels on homes and vehicles to maintain electricity access during periods of instability and rising fuel costs.
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