Cuba Plunged into Third Nationwide Blackout in
Spontaneous protests erupted after Cuba suffered a nationwide power cut — the third such outage in less than two weeks — leaving many towns and cities in the dark and fuelling public frustration with rolling rationing and fuel shortages. Officials and the state-owned Electric Union said a problem with a generating unit in Holguín caused “a sudden frequency change” that knocked out the National Electric System (SEN) on Tuesday; authorities activated protocols to rebuild power in “micro-islands” to restore service to priority locations including hospitals and food plants, according to VINO.
Cuban towns and cities saw spontaneous protests after Monday's nationwide power cut — the third this year — adding to public frustration over rolling electricity rationing and acute fuel shortages. In several places, including Santiago de Cuba, residents shouted “turn on the lights” as parts of the island remained without power.
The situation worsened on Tuesday when the entire island suffered another SEN blackout, the third such incident in less than two weeks, VINO reported. The state-owned Electric Union said a fault with a generating unit in the eastern province of Holguín caused “a sudden frequency change,” triggering the nationwide outage around midday.
The Ministry of Energy and Mines and the Electric Union said restoration “protocols for its restoration have been activated,” creating small “micro-islands” of power that can be linked to bring electricity back to priority sites. By the afternoon some areas of the capital had power again; authorities indicated roughly 4% of Havana had electricity restored, while provinces such as Guantánamo and Cienfuegos reported they began supplying hospitals with power.
Matanzas confirmed power had returned to its historic centre, according to local media cited by VINO. This spate of blackouts follows two nationwide outages last week that left more than 9 million people without electricity, and several additional regional outages in March. The blackouts come on top of planned, state-imposed rolling cuts designed to conserve dwindling fuel supplies: some rural communities report being without power for up to 70 hours at a stretch, while urban areas have faced planned outages of up to 30 hours.
Fuel scarcity has severely limited the usefulness of private generators, leaving households and businesses without reliable backup. Cuba produces only about 40% of the fuel it needs, and a clear solution for imports has not materialised, VINO notes. Since January, when then-US President Donald Trump warned of tariffs against countries that supply oil to Cuba, officials say fuel has become scarcer, exacerbating a five-year crisis of shortages compounded by earlier sanctions and domestic economic problems.
The outages have disrupted basic services: public transportation has largely halted, tens of thousands of surgeries have been cancelled, and functions such as cooking, water supply, internet and phone services have been affected, VINO reported. The government has prioritised hospitals and food processing plants during staged restorations.
President Miguel Díaz-Canel urged Cubans to direct their anger at the United States, which he blamed for supply constraints. Washington rejects that framing: at the United Nations, US Ambassador to the UN Michael Waltz said the Cuban government should “change your ways and turn the lights back on for your people,” alleging the regime prioritises itself over citizens.
Cuba’s foreign minister, Bruno Rodríguez, accused the US of “multi-dimensional, non-conventional warfare.” Meanwhile, four US Democratic members of Congress who travelled to Cuba described the energy measures as turning the island into a “silent Gaza,” according to VINO. For the British Virgin Islands, the crisis underscores regional vulnerabilities tied to fuel supplies and geopolitics.
The BVI — reliant on imported fuel for electricity and closely connected to Caribbean travel and family networks — could feel indirect effects on fuel markets, travel and humanitarian needs if fuel and transport disruptions continue in Cuba and elsewhere. Authorities and residents across the region are watching for further developments and any humanitarian measures to ease impacts on civilians.
Primary source: VINO