Electricity is gradually being restored in Havana, days after a nationwide blackout plunged Cuba into darkness. The outage, which began last Friday, led the government to close all non-essential workplaces and cancel school classes until Thursday.
As of Monday, nearly 90% of Havana has regained power, according to Cuban officials. However, little information has been provided regarding the status of other regions on the island. Despite the progress, many residents remain cautious after previous announcements of restored power were followed by further outages. Only essential services, such as hospitals, have maintained continuous power.
Giovanny Fardales, a 51-year-old unemployed translator, expressed relief when electricity returned to his home, but he remained skeptical. "How long before they cut it again? That’s the question. Not being negative, just realistic,” he told Al Jazeera.
Adding to the challenges, Hurricane Oscar struck eastern Cuba as a Category 1 storm on Sunday, causing significant damage to homes, electricity poles, and trees. The storm knocked out power in Holguin, Cuba's fourth-largest city. Fortunately, it quickly weakened as it moved inland, according to the United States National Hurricane Center.
Cuban Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy stated during a news conference that he hoped the entire electricity grid would be restored by the end of Monday or early Tuesday. He also mentioned that countries such as Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, and Russia have offered assistance, although no details were provided.
During the blackout, Havana remained mostly dark at night, with only a few bars and homes using fuel-powered generators. A heavy police presence could be seen across the city, as concerns grew over potential unrest.
President Miguel Diaz-Canel, appearing in military attire on national television on Sunday, urged Cubans to express their frustrations peacefully and warned against vandalism or disturbances. "We are not going to accept nor allow anyone to act with vandalism and much less to alter the tranquillity of our people," Diaz-Canel said, a rare appearance for the president in uniform.
The situation has drawn comparisons to the widespread protests in July 2021, when power outages and shortages of essential goods led to public outcry. Over the weekend, some Cubans took to the streets in protest as food supplies dwindled. In the Santo Suarez neighborhood of Havana, residents banged pots and pans in frustration on Sunday night.
Anabel Gonzalez, a housewife living in Old Havana, expressed her desperation after three days without electricity. "My cell phone is dead and look at my refrigerator. The little that I had has all gone to waste," she said, showing the empty shelves in her home.
Cuba’s aging power grid relies heavily on imported fuel, and one of the island’s oil-fired power plants failed on Friday, triggering the blackout. Power was briefly restored on Sunday, but the grid soon collapsed again. In recent years, Cuba has added floating power ships from Turkey and smaller diesel generators to strengthen its grid.
Diaz-Canel blamed the blackout on difficulties obtaining fuel, citing the tightening of the U.S. trade embargo during Donald Trump's presidency. The island is also facing its worst economic crisis since the collapse of the Soviet Union, its main ally during the Cold War.
“Cubans are tired of so much… There’s no life here, [people] can’t take it anymore,” said Serguei Castillo, a 68-year-old bricklayer, reflecting the widespread frustration of many Cubans.
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