Cubans protest nationwide power outages due in part to US oil blockade
Cubans took to the streets, banging pots and pans to protest the widespread power outage. The blackout was partly due to Cuba’s aging power system.
Cuba restored power to its national grid on Sunday, March 22, after the system collapsed for the second time in a week, amid a U.S. oil blockade that has dealt a major blow to the country’s unstable energy infrastructure.
The national power company UNE announced on social media that the power grid collapsed at 6:32pm local time on March 21 after the main power plant in Nuvitas, a municipality in the province of Camagüey in the eastern part of the island, failed and shut down, causing a domino effect of power loss across the rest of the country.
The operator added that the island has installed small closed-circuit microsystems across the state to power and secure critical services such as hospitals, blood banks, water supplies and food distribution.
Power is gradually being restored to other areas of the island outside the microsystem, including the two gas-fired power plants in Varadero and Boca de Jalcom, and the oil-fired power plant in Santa Cruz. A boiler at the country’s largest power plant also ignited on the island, according to a recent social media update from Cuba’s Energy Ministry.
The outages come as Cuba faces challenges including multiple power outages, protests and an oil shortage caused by the U.S. blockade, worsening an already outdated power generation system. Cuba’s national power grid collapsed on March 16, the second series of power outages in as many months, including one that sparked rare violent protests in the communist-run country.
These problems have been exacerbated by the recent lockdown that began earlier this year. Following the detention in January of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, an ally of Cuba, the United States cut off the flow of oil supplies from Venezuela to Cuba and threatened to impose tariffs on countries that supply the fuel, often leaving planes, cars and people on the island without oil.
“Honor of the Occupation of Cuba”
Meanwhile, the Trump administration declared a national emergency against Cuba in January, arguing that Cuba posed an “unusual and unusual threat” to U.S. national security.
President Donald Trump has set his sights on Cuba in recent weeks, suggesting on March 17 that the United States would soon do “something with Cuba,” even though the two countries were said to be in talks to try to resolve the crisis. Earlier this month, President Trump said he believed he would have the “honor of occupying Cuba,” claiming he could “do whatever[we want]” to the country.
Both the U.S. and Cuba have confirmed they are in talks, and Cuba’s top diplomat in Washington, D.C., told USA TODAY in an exclusive interview on March 13 that Havana is in “serious” and “deliberate” negotiations with the U.S. government. Neither side has disclosed details of the ongoing negotiations, but President Trump has portrayed Cuba as eager to reach a deal.
Cuba has experienced large-scale power outages in the past, including in 2024, many of which are believed to be caused by the country’s outdated power generation system, which relies on aging thermal power plants. The system uses approximately 100,000 barrels of oil per day for essential services.
Contributed by: Reuters
Kate Perez covers national trends and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kperez@usatodayco.com or X @katecperez_.
