Cuba initiated a gradual restoration of electricity on Monday following a collapse of the national electric grid, adding to the challenges faced by the island due to severe shortages of energy, fuel, and medicine. The grid operator UNE stated that essential services such as hospitals and food production centers were receiving power, although by late afternoon, only one percent of Havana’s power demand was being met. The cause of the grid failure has not been disclosed yet.
The country has been experiencing prolonged power outages for months, ranging from hours to days, attributed to an outdated grid and a blockade on oil imposed by the United States, cutting off the fuel supply. The widespread blackout further burdens Cubans already fatigued by frequent blackouts that disrupt work and rest in the hot Caribbean weather.
A Havana resident, 57-year-old Ariel Sotelo expressed the difficulties faced, highlighting the challenges of enduring the situation. Nearly two-thirds of the population was already without power before the grid collapse, with many residents accustomed to the lack of electricity and limited communication.
The U.S. administration, under President Donald Trump, stopped fuel shipments from Venezuela to Cuba earlier in the year and pressured Mexico to cease deliveries, threatening tariffs on countries supplying oil to Cuba. The U.S. justifies these actions by considering Cuba’s government a national security threat and aiming to induce governmental change on the island. However, Cuba maintains it poses no threat to the U.S.
For most Cubans, the situation is more about practical challenges than political issues. Residents like 60-year-old Omar Ortega from Havana express the unbearable conditions caused by the power outages, questioning how long they must endure the hardships.
