Overview
- The outage began around 5:00 a.m. local time, according to the state utility Unión Eléctrica (UNE).
- Roughly 3.5 million people lost electricity in the western half of the island, including Havana and the provinces of Pinar del Río, Artemisa and Mayabeque.
- A fault on the line linking the Ché Guevara and Antonio Guiteras plants split the system and forced four of the country’s seven thermal units offline.
- UNE reported that all provinces have been reconnected to the national grid, with service being restored progressively based on available generation and established recovery protocols.
- The blackout unfolded during a protracted power crisis marked by aging plants and fuel shortages; President Miguel Díaz-Canel linked the failure to U.S. sanctions and recent hurricane damage.