Cuba Restores Power After 16-Hour Nationwide Blackout

Overview

• A failure at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant triggered the collapse that left about two-thirds of the island, including Havana, without electricity.
• Authorities said the National Electric System was reconnected and power was being brought back gradually, but the grid remains weak with generation well below normal levels.
• Repairs at the Guiteras plant are expected to take three to four days, according to the state utility Unión Eléctrica and the Energy Ministry.
• Before the outage, Cuba was already facing daily generation deficits of roughly 1,917–2,000 megawatts and prolonged rolling cuts, commonly 10–12 hours in Havana and longer in some provinces.
• Cuban aviation authorities warned of Jet A-1 shortages at major airports at least through April, prompting Air France to suspend Paris–Havana flights from March 28 to June 15 and Air Canada to delay a return until November 2026.