Overview
- Havana’s utility reported about 66% of service restored in the capital, with essential services partially operating while many neighborhoods remain without electricity for a second day.
- The Cuban Electric Union said the total disconnection on March 21 followed an unexpected shutdown of a generation unit at the Nuevitas thermoelectric plant.
- Officials and multiple reports tie prolonged outages to aging infrastructure and fuel shortfalls linked to the long-running U.S. embargo and newer restrictions that have curbed shipments.
- Hospitals have postponed surgeries and residents face water and refrigeration failures, with local generators filling some gaps as diaspora groups and churches coordinate medical and basic supplies.
- The Nuestra América convoy delivered humanitarian aid, U.S. lawmakers called to lift what they term an oil blockade, and The Washington Post reported Cuba rejected a U.S. Embassy request to import diesel for generators.