Overview
- The state utility reported a “desconexión total” that plunged the entire island into darkness on Sunday night as recovery protocols were activated and staged restorations began.
- Hours earlier a partial outage in the west followed a simultaneous trip of two 220 kV transmission lines that divided the national grid and left provinces including Pinar del Río, Artemisa, Mayabeque, La Habana and Matanzas without power.
- Available generation is far below need, with roughly 1,035–1,080 megawatts online against an estimated peak demand near 3,200 megawatts, leaving little margin to absorb faults or restart the system safely.
- Cuban officials say U.S. restrictions on fuel imports have sharply constrained diesel and fueloil supplies for plants and backup generators, while international observers point to decades of underinvestment and failing thermal units as root causes; limited reforms to allow private and foreign fuel imports have begun but have not eased the immediate shortages.
- The repeated collapses are disrupting water pumping, health services, food preservation and tourism, heightening public frustration, and experts warn full rehabilitation will take years and cost billions, so further large outages remain likely in the near term.