Cuba was plunged into darkness once again on Friday as a major failure in its national electricity grid led to the fourth general blackout in five months, officials confirmed.
The Ministry of Energy and Mines reported that a breakdown at a power substation near Havana at around 8:15 pm triggered a widespread loss of electricity, affecting large parts of the country.
Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz assured citizens that the government was “working tirelessly” to restore power, while essential services such as hospitals were given priority access to independent power circuits.
As Havana’s streets disappeared into darkness, residents navigated the city with flashlights and mobile phones.
“My God, this is terrible, we’re in for a dark weekend,” lamented Karen Gutierrez, an ice cream seller in the capital.
In other parts of the country, frustration grew among citizens weary of frequent outages. “This situation is unsustainable, no one can live like this,” said Angelica Caridad Martinez from Camaguey.
The latest blackout comes as Cuba grapples with its worst economic crisis in three decades, marked by food and medicine shortages, high inflation, and mass migration.
The country’s aging thermal power plants, mostly built in the 1980s and 1990s, suffer frequent breakdowns, while the reliance on expensive imported fuel to power floating Turkish generators adds to the strain.
To address the ongoing crisis, Cuba is rapidly expanding its renewable energy sector, aiming to install 55 Chinese-built solar farms by the end of the year.
Officials estimate these facilities will contribute around 1,200 megawatts, or 12 per cent of the nation’s total electricity supply.
However, with daily power cuts lasting up to 20 hours in some rural areas, residents remain sceptical about immediate relief.
