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Cuban capital back to normal, recovery moves forward from national blackout
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on September 11, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Global Banking and Finance Review
Company
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on September 11, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Havana restores 80% power after a nationwide blackout. Cuba faces ongoing energy challenges but collaborates with China on solar projects.
By Marc Frank and Nelson Acosta
HAVANA (Reuters) -The Cuban Energy and Mining Ministry said on Thursday 80% of the capital, Havana, had power and most of the country's energy grid had been reestablished 24 hours after it crashed, leaving 9.7 million residents in the dark.
"Electricity coverage has been increasing, and we are generating approximately 1000 Megawatts (MW) that will increase today," the ministry's electricity director Lazaro Guerra said during a morning state television broadcast.
"The restoration process is going well. ... We are in the concluding stage of the restoration of the electrical system," he said.
POWER SYSTEM IN A LONG-TERM CRISIS
That system has been in crisis for years and has an effective capacity of just under 2000 megawatts and a national demand of over 3,000 MW.
Even before Wednesday's collapse the vast majority of residents were experiencing daily blackouts of 16 hours or more.
Cuba's oil-fired power plants, already obsolete and struggling to keep the lights on, reached a full crisis last year as oil imports from Venezuela, Russia and Mexico dwindled.
The grid failure follows four nationwide blackouts since late last year.
Communist Party authorities have launched a crash program with China to install 1000 MW of solar power this year and another 1,000 MW after that.
The country has also been facing fuel, food and other shortages as part of its worst economic crisis in decades.
"The electrical system seems to be going through a very difficult situation, but we think ... measures can be taken that may contribute to an improvement," said Sergio Serrano, a self-employed Havana resident.
Housewife Thalia Martinez was not so sure.
"I don't understand what the state is doing about it. ... It is the people who suffer, the children, the mothers, the grandparents, the elderly, and that is super bad," she said.
(Reporting by Marc Frank and Nelson Acosta; Additional reporting by Mario Fuentes; Editing by Richard Chang)
Renewable energy is energy derived from natural sources that are replenished at a higher rate than they are consumed, such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric power.
An energy crisis is a situation in which the demand for energy exceeds the supply, leading to shortages, increased prices, and potential economic disruption.
Solar power is energy harnessed from the sun's rays using solar panels to generate electricity or heat.
A blackout is a temporary loss of electrical power in a specific area, often caused by equipment failure or extreme weather conditions.
The energy ministry is responsible for overseeing energy policies, regulations, and initiatives to ensure a reliable and sustainable energy supply.
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