Large parts of eastern Cuba have been plunged into darkness in the latest round of nationwide power shutdowns.
Cuba has been hit by increasing power outages after the island’s communist government said fuel reserves were exhausted, and rare protests broke out in neighborhoods around the capital Havana.
Large parts of eastern Cuba were plunged into darkness on Thursday in the latest round of nationwide power cuts, while demonstrations broke out in western areas near Havana over the blackouts.
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“We have absolutely no fuel, no oil and absolutely no diesel,” Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy said during a news conference late Wednesday.
“The only thing we have is gas from our own sources, whose production has increased, and domestic crude oil, whose production is also increasing,” he said, adding that Cuba was struggling to secure fuel imports.
“The situation is very tense. The impact of the blockade is causing us significant damage and we are still not receiving fuel,” he added.
The island, home to about 10 million people, relies on limited domestic fuel production and solar power to keep parts of the power grid running, but the electrical system has become increasingly vulnerable.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel accused the worsening US sanctions crisis.
“The situation of the national electricity system has been particularly tense in recent days,” Diaz-Canel said in a statement on Wednesday, saying the country was expected to face a deficit of more than 2,000 megawatts during peak demand in the evening.
Diaz-Canel also said that about 1,100 megawatts of power generation had already been lost Wednesday due to fuel shortages, which he described as the result of a “genocidal energy blockade.” imposed by the USA and threats of tariffs against countries that supply fuel to Cuba.
A resident of San Miguel del Padron, a neighborhood on the outskirts of Havana, told AFP that people protested the power outages on Wednesday evening by banging pots and pans.
According to reports from AFP news agency, several other similar small protest rallies were held in neighborhoods across the capital to express widespread frustration.
“Turn on the lights!” shouted residents of Playa, a district west of the capital.
Cuba’s fragile power grid is collapsing due to fuel shortages
The island’s energy crisis deepened in January after the United States tightened restrictions on fuel shipments to Cuba, in what officials in Havana call an oil blockade.
Since then, only a single Russian tanker has reportedly reached the island, which is already struggling with economic stagnation and chronic shortages of food, medicine and basic goods.
In some parts of Havana, residents endured power outages for more than 19 hours a day, while blackouts in several provinces lasted entire days.
Cuba’s electricity system relies on eight aging thermoelectric power plants, some of which have been operating for more than 40 years, which frequently fail or need to be taken offline for maintenance.
Cubans have experienced repeated nationwide power outages since 2024, while fuel prices have skyrocketed amid the worsening crisis.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio renewed a $100 million aid offer to Cuba on the condition that the aid be distributed through the Catholic Church and not the Cuban government.
“We are ready to learn the details of the proposal and its implementation,” Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said on social media, signaling cautious openness to discussions despite escalating tensions between Havana and Washington.
US President Donald Trump, who did this increased pressure on Havana This year has also suggested that Cuba could eventually become the next target of U.S. efforts to force political change on the island.
