Cuba’s Lights Continue to Flicker
Amid the bleakness, Cuba has pushed ahead with new solar energy projects in a bid to diversify away from fossil fuels.
By Felipe Pagliery (Progreso Weekly)
Two months into the fall of 2025, Cubans are enduring one of the worst energy crises in decades. From Santiago to Pinar del Río, long-lasting blackouts have plunged communities into darkness, straining hospitals, disrupting water pumping systems, and testing the patience of citizens already facing economic hardship.
A System on the Brink
Throughout September 2025, Cuba’s national electric grid — the Sistema Eléctrico Nacional (SEN), operated by the state utility Unión Eléctrica (UNE) — struggled to meet even half of peak demand. On September 8, UNE reported an available capacity of roughly 1,910 megawatts (MW) against a demand of 3,450 MW, leaving a shortfall of over 1,500 MW.
That week, an outage along the 220-kilovolt transmission line between Nuevitas and Las Tunas caused widespread blackouts across eastern provinces. These technical failures, combined with dwindling fuel supplies, left millions without power for up to 20 hours a day.
By late September, deficits regularly surpassed 1,600 to 1,800 MW — numbers unprecedented in recent years. On September 30, UNE logged an available generation of 1,670 MW compared with a forecast demand of 2,840 MW, warning that peak-hour shortfalls could exceed 1,700 MW.
“The system has collapsed,” said an engineer in Holguín who asked not to be named. “It’s not just one unit down — it’s the entire network aging at once.”
Fuel Shortages and Failing Plants
The core of the crisis lies in fuel scarcity and decaying infrastructure. Much of Cuba’s thermal power generation relies on imported fuel oil and diesel, both of which have been in short supply as the country struggles to secure credit and faces declining oil shipments from traditional allies such as Venezuela.
By early October, UNE officials acknowledged publicly that national fuel reserves were “insufficient for the month.” Three thermal plants were completely offline, removing 270 MW from the grid, while diesel shortages sidelined many smaller distributed generator units, adding another 600 MW of lost capacity.
An October 8 report indicated that Cuba’s thermal plants were operating at only 25 percent of total capacity, with three of the country’s seven major stations shut down for lack of parts or maintenance.
“The units at Felton, Renté, Nuevitas, and Santa Cruz are all in critical condition,” said UNE’s daily bulletin. “Breakdowns and lack of fuel have severely limited service.”
Another Round of National Blackouts
The shortages culminated in several nationwide blackouts between September 9–11, affecting as many as 10 million Cubans, according to The Guardian, which reported that the country suffered its “fifth blackout in less than a year.”
Reuters described the situation in the capital: “Havana returned to normalcy only days later, after grid recovery from a national blackout that paralyzed public transport and food storage.”
By the start of October, there was little improvement. UNE projected deficits near 1,900 MW on October 1, and on October 2, some regions reported 24-hour outages.
Impact on Daily Life
Across the island, ordinary Cubans have adapted to darkness. Families cook before dawn or after midnight, students study by candlelight, and neighborhoods share generators to keep critical appliances running.
In Santiago de Cuba, 63-year-old resident María Gómez told independent reporters she had not experienced a full day of electricity “since the start of September.” “You can’t refrigerate food,” she said. “We’ve lost everything we buy — chicken, milk, even water sometimes.”
Urban centers fare better than rural provinces, where blackouts often last an entire day. In Havana, rolling outage schedules are announced but rarely followed. “They say four hours, but it’s usually eight or more,” said a bus driver in Alamar.
Small businesses, already battered by inflation and shortages, now face mounting losses as refrigeration, air-conditioning, and payment systems fail without power.
Renewables Provide Glimmers of Light
Amid the bleakness, Cuba has pushed ahead with new solar energy projects in a bid to diversify away from fossil fuels. In September, officials inaugurated two 21.8-MW photovoltaic parks in Holguín and Camagüey provinces, adding to a growing network of more than 30 solar installations nationwide.
By mid-September, these parks contributed around 597 MW of midday peak power and roughly 3,000 megawatt-hours overall — still a fraction of what is needed to bridge the daily gap.
The long-term goal, as outlined in government plans, is to generate 24 percent of Cuba’s electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030. But progress is slow, constrained by financing, imported technology, and maintenance challenges.
Economic and Political Context
The current wave of blackouts coincides with one of Cuba’s deepest economic downturns since the 1990s. Declines in tourism revenue, tightening U.S. sanctions, and reduced oil shipments from Venezuela have drained foreign reserves, leaving the government unable to purchase spare parts and fuel on international markets.
In some areas, power outages have sparked local protests, particularly in eastern provinces. Videos shared on social media in late September showed residents banging pots and chanting “¡Queremos luz!” (“We want light!”).
Although authorities have largely avoided confrontation, police presence has been reported in several affected neighborhoods.
Looking Ahead
The Cuban government insists that recovery efforts are ongoing. On October 15, Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy reiterated that “maintenance brigades are working around the clock” and that more fuel was expected from friendly nations. Yet officials have offered no timetable for an end to the blackouts.
Analysts warn that unless Cuba can secure stable fuel supplies and overhaul its aging generation fleet, the country’s energy grid will remain vulnerable to collapse.
“Even if one or two thermal units return, the structural issues persist,” said economist Omar Everleny Pérez Villanueva, a former University of Havana professor. “Without investment, Cuba will face this crisis every year.”
The Human Toll
For now, ordinary Cubans continue to bear the brunt. In Cienfuegos, 29-year-old teacher Ernesto López summed up the prevailing mood: “We’ve learned to live by the sun. When it sets, the country shuts down.”
The irony is not lost on residents — a nation rich in sunlight but short on power.
Felipe Pagliery is a retired professor of history who lives in West Palm Beach, Florida. Much of the information found in this article was gathered from sources such as The Guardian, Reuters, Associated Press, Evrim Ağacı, Cuba Headlines, and CiberCuba.