Cubans Face Unprecedented Energy Crisis Amid Prolonged Blackouts

Cuba has endured one of its harshest weeks in recent history, with around 10 million people left without power due to a nationwide blackout that lasted for several days. The energy crisis was compounded by the destruction wrought by Hurricane Oscar, which swept through the island’s north-eastern coast, claiming several lives and causing widespread damage. For many Cubans, living without consistent access to energy has become a painful reality.

As the country approached its fourth day without power, residents like Yusely Perez were forced to find alternative ways to survive. In her Havana neighborhood, regular deliveries of liquified gas cannisters have been unavailable for two months.

At the height of the blackout, Cuba’s energy and mines minister, Vicente de la O Levy, attributed the failure of the electrical infrastructure to the longstanding US economic embargo. He argued that the embargo has made it difficult to import essential parts, access fuel, or secure international credit to maintain and overhaul the country’s aging power grid.

The US State Department, however, refuted this, claiming that the issues with Cuba’s energy production were rooted in the government’s mismanagement rather than external factors.

Despite the minister’s reassurances that normal service would resume soon, the national grid collapsed again, marking the fourth outage within 48 hours. The blackout cast Havana into near-total darkness at night, where the only light came from mobile phones, leaving residents in sweltering heat with no relief.