Overview
- Cuba’s state utility said a unit failure at the Nuevitas thermoelectric plant at 18:32 local time triggered a cascade that disconnected the entire national grid, the third major outage this month.
- Authorities activated microsystems in every province and reported gas‑fired units at Energas back online to prioritize power for hospitals, water service and food distribution, with partial restoration reported in Havana.
- Daily power cuts have stretched to many hours as aging thermoelectric plants strain without sufficient fuel, and officials say the island produces only about 40% of the fuel it needs.
- Officials report no foreign oil has arrived since January 9 after U.S. actions that halted Venezuelan supplies and threats of tariffs discouraged other sellers, with Mexico among those stopping shipments.
- Cuba says it is open to talks with Washington but will not negotiate its political system, as a senior diplomat said the military is preparing for possible aggression; protests have grown and aid convoys with medical supplies, food, water and solar panels have begun arriving.