The collapse, which occurred at 13:41 local time, not only affected home lighting but also left the vast majority of the population without basic services such as landline telephony, mobile phones, and internet.
Lázaro Guerra, General Director of Electricity at the Ministry of Energy and Mines (Minem), reported that the exact causes of the incident are under investigation, although he assured that the generating units in service did not report any damage at the time of disconnection. The recovery process is being carried out "step by step" through the creation of micro-generation systems in small areas that are gradually interconnected. These efforts prioritize service to vital centers such as hospitals and food processing centers. However, progress is slow: in Havana, only 4.9% of customers have had power restored so far.
The infrastructure faces severe obstacles to its restoration. Although renewable sources and generating engines have been activated, the availability of diesel and fuel oil is heavily limited due to the U.S. oil blockade. Additionally, the system suffers from structural deterioration due to frequent breakdowns in obsolete thermal power plants and the government's lack of foreign currency to import fuel.
This new widespread blackout worsens an already unsustainable situation. Before the total disconnection, Cubans were dealing with cuts of up to 15 hours a day in the capital and periods of up to two days without power in the provinces. As a result, economic activity is nearly paralyzed, leading to increased social discontent. In recent days, protests have been recorded in various cities, some of which have ended in acts of violence and arrests. Cuba is thus experiencing a deep energy crisis that has dramatically worsened in the last three months.