Power slowly restored in Cuba after massive blackout
Electricity is gradually being restored in Cuba after a substation failure plunged the entire island into darkness for over 36 hours.
Image for illustration purposes
Havana, Cuba: On March 15, Millions of Cubans remained without power following a nationwide grid failure the previous night. The Cuban Electricity Union reported that most of Havana and the eastern regions had regained power, with service expected to return to western areas by March 16.
This marked the fourth major blackout in six months as the Caribbean nation grapples with a deepening economic crisis. The Ministry of Energy and Mines attributed the outage to a failure at the Diezmero substation in San Miguel del Padrón.
Journalist Mario Herrera released a video revealing the cause of the blackout. Ariel Mas Castellanos, head of Substations for the Havana Electric Company, cited an aging line component—no longer available on the international market—as the source of the failure, making repairs especially difficult due to supply restrictions.
The blackout severely disrupted daily life, raising concerns over food spoilage in the tropical climate. Internet and phone services were intermittent. Businesses remained open, some relying on batteries or small generators, while gas stations operated as usual. However, the tunnel under Havana Bay was left in darkness.
Cuba’s aging power plants, many of which are over 30 years old, and ongoing fuel shortages have led to repeated outages. The economic crisis, worsened by U.S. sanctions and inflation, has further exacerbated the situation.
This latest blackout follows similar outages in October, November, and December, underscoring Cuba’s ongoing energy struggles.
Source: MSN.com, Cuba Headlines
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