The Cuban authorities began, in the early hours of this Sunday, March 22, a critical operation to try to restore the energy supply throughout the island, was reported by the agency Reuters. This effort comes after the National Electric System (SEN) suffered its second total collapse within a weekplunging the country into almost absolute paralysis and worsening the already severe humanitarian and economic crisis.
Technical teams from the Ministry of Energy and Mines (Minem), according to the same source, are working on synchronizing the country’s main thermoelectric plants. The process is described as extremely complex, involving a “cold start” of the systemin which the load must be introduced gradually to prevent network instability from causing a new cascading short circuit – as happened in Portugal, during the ‘Blackout’ of 2024, in which the entire process took between 8-10 hours.
The Cuban government, through its official channels and the newspaper Granmaconfirmed that the immediate priority is to power basic services such as hospitals and water pumping systemswhich were severely affected by the widespread blackout.
Minem announced, in the early hours of this Sunday, that it managed to set up small autonomous electrical circuits in all provincesan emergency solution that allows ensure the functioning of essential services — from hospitals to water supply, including food distribution.
For protection added that the two gas plants managed by Energas were already operating in Varadero and Boca de Jaruco, and that energy had started to reach the fuel oil plant in Santa Cruzlocated in the same area. The update was released through the ministry’s official platforms.
In Havana, as described by the Reuters, dawn found the streets full of residents sitting on their front doors, exchanging conversations with their neighbors while trying to ward off mosquitoes. The clear sky and fresh air contrasted with the widespread dismay at the situation.
Obsolete infrastructure
According to Reutersit is The new collapse is due to a visibly degraded energy infrastructure, with many of Cuba’s thermal plants exceeding 40 years of operation and lacking background maintenance due to lack of replacement parts and foreign exchange.
This Insufficiency of strong currency means that the country is unable to obtain fuel from the markets that supply its allieslike China, and feeds the regime’s narrative that the extreme situation Cuba is going through is due to the “US oil blockade”. In any case, scarce fuel is essential to power the electrical system, which further aggravates existing technical shortages.
Diplomatic sources and international observers, including analysis of AFP and from Al Jazeeraemphasize that Cuba’s dependence on allies such as Venezuela and Russia has become a point of vulnerabilitysince the flow of oil from these countries has suffered interruptions for logistical and geopolitical reasons.
Life on hold
While the network does not stabilize, the government of Miguel Díaz-Canel maintains the suspension of all non-essential economic activities. Schools remain closed and Administrative Services limited to a minimum.
On the streets, social discontent is palpable, with the population facing extreme difficulties in preserving food and accessing basic necessities in a climate of uncertainty about when light will become constant again.
Energy experts consulted by bodies such as the BBC indicate that, Even if the network is restored this Sunday, the system will remain “in critical condition” and subject to further cuts if there is no immediate injection of fuel and technical investment.
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