HAVANA — Following a nationwide blackout that left millions without power for several hours, officials announced on Thursday that the electricity grid in Cuba has been restored. However, they indicated that scheduled power outages will continue to take place.
This recent blackout, the third of its kind in under two months, occurred early on Wednesday due to a malfunction at a thermoelectric plant located in Matanzas province, east of Havana. This disruption triggered a domino effect, straining an already weakened power system even further.
By Thursday, educational institutions and workplaces began to return to their regular operations. Cuban authorities confirmed that they will maintain their ongoing practice of imposing daily power outages lasting five hours each, affecting various neighborhoods or zones, a strategy that has been in place for several months.
On October 18, the island experienced a major blackout that, compounded by the arrival of Hurricane Oscar two days later, plunged Cuba into an electricity crisis lasting several days. Shortly after, powerful winds from Hurricane Rafael resulted in another widespread blackout, disconnecting the national energy system once more.
In recent months, Cuba’s power grid has faced numerous outages, with over half of the population experiencing power interruptions during peak demand hours. The primary factors contributing to these outages are a scarcity of fuel and outdated infrastructure. In numerous regions of the island, access to electricity is essential for everyday activities such as cooking and the operation of water pumps.
