Illustration featuring the Cuban flag and shadow of a person, made by Global Voices.

In Cuba, it is not the blackouts that shock people, but rather the rare instances when electricity is available. To reflect this, it is said that “la electricidad no se va, la ponen” (“the electricity doesn't go out, they put it on”). This running joke underscores how rare it has become to spend an entire day without prolonged blackouts. Over the past week, the situation has worsened, with 84 percent of Cuban households enduring a general blackout lasting over 70 hours. This is the longest blackout unrelated to a natural catastrophe.

According to official reports, the cause of the outage stems from a technical failure at a thermoelectric plant located 104 kilometers east of Havana. Efforts to restore power through four reactivation attempts have so far proven unsuccessful. This “new reality” reinforces what is already the most serious socio-economic crisis in the country's history. With inflation exceeding 200 percent and an average monthly salary of USD 7, citizens are unable to afford basic necessities, and their limited food reserves are spoiling due to the prolonged power outage.

Only tourist hubs have been spared thus far, thanks to their independent power plants. Since October 20, hospital generators have begun to run out of fuel, placing critical patients in grave danger. The government has closed all schools indefinitely, without providing a reopening timeline. Water and gas services, already unreliable, have been entirely cut off in residential areas.

The regime has lost control of the situation, having previously limited blackouts to rural areas to prevent discontent and protests in the capital. For instance, while, in Havana, power cuts were infrequent or very short, in the provinces they lasted up to 10 hours a day. In a recent televised address, Alfredo López, the general director of the state-owned Electric Company (UNE), urged citizens to invest in solar panels, admitting that while improvements could occur, the government cannot promise a stable energy solution in the short or medium term. This statement has been met with widespread criticism from the diaspora, who believe the financial burden is once again being unfairly placed on their shoulders.

Cuban officials continue to hold the United States responsible for the country’s energy woes, but the root causes are more nuanced. The nation’s thermoelectric plants, averaging 40 years of operational life, have long exceeded their designed 25-year lifespan. Financial constraints have further hampered the government’s ability to secure fuel imports from countries like Algeria and Mexico. Meanwhile, Venezuela’s crisis has led to a significant reduction in subsidised oil exports to Cuba.

The core issue remains: the regime lacks a long-term strategic plan. Despite substantial financial backing from Hugo Chávez (2000–2013), the government neglected to invest in upgrading energy infrastructure. In 2016, Russia offered a USD 1.2 billion credit to overhaul Cuba’s electrical grid, but bureaucratic inefficiency led to a missed opportunity. Furthermore, over recent decades, the government has invested heavily in expanding luxury tourism infrastructure while neglecting other critical sectors of the economy.

As living conditions deteriorate, tensions continue to rise across Cuba. In several parts of the island, people are staging nighttime protests against the regime, seeking the cover of darkness for security. To contain the spread of these demonstrations, the government has drastically reduced internet connectivity. On Sunday night, President Miguel Díaz-Canel, appearing in military uniform on national television, announced that any disturbances to public order would be met with punishment. In many cities, long lines of police cars patrolled the streets to deter protests. Adding to the complexity of the situation, a hurricane is striking the island’s eastern regions, leaving at least six dead at the time of writing. What happens next remains uncertain.