Cuba Begins Gradual Power Restoration in Havana Amid Severe Crisis

Cuba initiated a gradual restoration of electricity on Monday after a collapse of its power grid earlier in the day, marking a new setback for the island already facing severe shortages of energy, fuel, and medicines.

The state-run company UNE, which operates the electricity network, announced that it is supplying power to some critical services, including hospitals and food production centers, according to Reuters.

However, UNE reported that by late Monday afternoon, it had managed to meet only 1% of the electricity demand in the capital city, Havana.

Authorities have not yet disclosed the cause of the power grid collapse or provided an estimate for when full capacity might be restored.

Officials stated that the reason for the outage is under investigation, while the country’s aging electricity infrastructure continues to struggle amid dwindling fuel reserves.

For months, Cuba has been experiencing power outages lasting several hours, and more recently, several days. These interruptions have been attributed to the deteriorating grid and an American oil embargo that has cut fuel supplies to the island.

Prior to the collapse, nearly two-thirds of Cuba was already without electricity.