Havana: A third of Cuba's provinces were plunged into darkness on Sunday, worsening the situation on the island, which already experiences frequent power outages, with some towns receiving only three hours of electricity a day. Cuba is suffering from a severe energy crisis due to the deterioration of its infrastructure, including eight outdated thermal power plants, generators that require fuel, which the country is in short supply of, and a depleted power grid.
According to Yemen News Agency, twenty-eight photovoltaic power plants built with Chinese support, out of 52 planned for this year, have failed to reduce the outages. Over the summer, power outages increased even in Havana, reaching up to ten hours a day in some areas.
The Cuban Electricity Union, the utility provider, reported that a 220-kilovolt power line in eastern Cuba "broke down the grid" in five of the country's fifteen provinces: Las Tunas, Granma, Holgun, Santiago de Cuba, and Guant¡namo. The company reported on Twitter that "an investigation is underway to determine the causes, and work is underway to restore the network."
Electricity supplies were particularly insufficient last week. On Monday, available electricity was 1,930 megawatts, compared to demand of 3,750 megawatts, resulting in a deficit of 1,960 megawatts during the peak evening hours.
Since October 2024, Cuba has experienced four widespread power outages, some lasting several days.