Overview
- A blackout knocked out electricity across roughly two-thirds of Cuba from Pinar del Río to Camagüey, including Havana, affecting nearly 7 million people.
- State media cited a boiler pipe burst and water leak that caused a small fire at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, triggering the system failure.
- Authorities report the national grid has been partially reconnected and is operating in limited capacity that prioritizes hospitals and water supplies, with reconnections progressing gradually in Havana and elsewhere.
- The Energy Ministry said the Felton 1 plant remains online, though overall generation is far below normal and some units are offline due to a lack of petroleum.
- Officials and multiple outlets link the deepening power shortfall to halted Venezuelan oil shipments and U.S. pressure, including threats of tariffs that prompted suppliers such as Mexico to pause deliveries, compounding Cuba’s aging grid problems.