Overview
- The national utility reported a partial collapse early Thursday that left much of eastern Cuba, including Santiago de Cuba, without power before some essential services came back online by mid‑morning.
- Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy said Wednesday on state TV that Cuba has no diesel or fuel oil and no reserves, calling the power system critical and saying it now runs only on domestic crude, natural gas, and limited solar output.
- Following Wednesday night’s long outages in Havana, residents staged rare street protests, banging pots, burning trash, and demanding electricity as some neighborhoods went 20 to 22 hours without service.
- The United States publicly restated a $100 million humanitarian aid offer to be delivered through the Catholic Church and other independent groups, and Cuba’s foreign minister said Thursday the government is willing to hear the details.
- Officials in Havana blame a U.S. fuel blockade imposed in January that deterred shipments from Venezuela and Mexico, the UN has criticized the measure as unlawful, and experts point to aging thermoelectric plants and a lack of storage that worsen blackouts once fuel runs short.