Cuba Endures Nationwide Blackouts as Fuel Shortages and U.S. Sanctions Deepen Crisis

Cuba has suffered three nationwide blackouts within ten days, leaving an estimated 10 million people without electricity. The state utility Unión Eléctrica reports a generation shortfall of roughly 2 260 MW during peak demand, with available capacity around 940 MW versus a 3 200 MW peak load. Multiple thermal units remain offline for repairs or lack of fuel, and only limited solar generation is feeding the grid.

The government attributes the collapse to a chronic fuel shortage exacerbated by recent U.S. sanctions targeting the tourism ministry and other entities, which it says restricts fuel imports. Residents report prolonged outages affecting cooking, food preservation, healthcare, and communications, and there have been peaceful protests such as cacerolazos in Havana. The crisis has driven rising fuel prices, increased reliance on generators in hotels, and heightened social tension across the island.

Efforts to add 200 MW from the Antonio Guiteras plant and to expand solar capacity have been announced, but analysts note that substantial investment—potentially tens of billions of dollars—would be required to modernize the aging power system.