Cubans: 'There Are No Words for What We're Going Through'

Cuba's power grid collapsed again on Friday, leaving millions without electricity for at least the sixth time since US President Trump cut off fuel to the island in January. The Ministry of Energy and Mines announced the power outage on its official X account and added that officials had begun "activating service-restoration protocols," per the AP. "No one can stand these constant blackouts. There isn't enough food, there's no water, there's no electricity—you have no idea," a 60-year-old worker in Havana said. "The country is in such a sad state, and there are no words for what we're going through."

According to Cuban authorities, a failure reportedly occurred in transmission lines in the western part of the country, causing the system to collapse in that area—as far as the Matanzas province—and the eastern section of the island was subsequently disconnected. The official newspaper Granma reported that "unstable" weather conditions further aggravated the grid's situation. By dusk, power had been restored to 5% of users in Havana, which has a total of about 862,000 customers, per official data. Small power-distribution "micro-islands" were being established in Camaguey, Pinar del Rio, and Granma provinces. Some systems serving hospitals and other emergency facilities were being reactivated.

Power grid collapses have become increasingly common over the past two years due to the severe economic crisis there. They've worsened since January, after the US imposed an energy blockade aimed at forcing a change in Cuba's political system. The restrictions prevent Cuba from importing fuel needed to operate its thermoelectric power plants, as well as replacement parts to maintain infrastructure that's often become obsolete. Just one tanker of fuel has been delivered since, by a Russian tanker in March. The two most recent nationwide blackouts occurred in early August, following others in July and March, as well as several regional outages.

Even when the national grid is working, Cubans regularly endure outages lasting more than 30 consecutive hours. The blackouts have had a significant impact on the population and, combined with the energy embargo, have led to transportation limitations, reduced work hours, and flight cancellations, in addition to serious public health consequences. The power outages also affect basic activities such as cooking, water supply, and internet and telephone service. Homemaker Abilen Marrero sat resignedly at the entrance to her building in central Havana on Friday. "Maybe it'll come back this afternoon or tomorrow—there's no way to know. We just have to wait," she said.