Western Cuba blackout leaves millions without power

A blackout hit the western half of Cuba on Wednesday, the 4th, leaving millions of people in Havana and surrounding areas without electricity, in the latest outage affecting the island amid the fight against dwindling oil reserves and a fragile power grid.

The restart of operations at Cuba’s largest thermoelectric plant, which had been shut down previously and caused the disruption in power supply, could take at least 72 hours, the state broadcaster Radio Rebelde said, citing an energy sector official.

The state electric company reported on the X social platform that the blackout affected residents from the city of Pinar del Rio, in the west of the country, to the city of Camagüey, in the central region.

    <p>In the late afternoon, the government said that crews had restored power to 2.5% of Havana, or about 21,100 customers, noting that efforts were gradual and conditioned by the system's conditions.</p><p>"We trust the experience and the effort of the electricians to overcome this situation in the shortest possible time," wrote Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz on X.</p><p>However, the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, had previously stated that one of the power plants affected by the outage was already in operation. "We are working to restore the National Electric System amid a complex energy situation," he wrote on X.</p>        

    <p>State media reported that the power disruption was caused by the shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, east of Havana, due to a leak in its boiler.</p><p>Cuba faces difficulties with dwindling oil reserves after the U.S. attack on Venezuela in early January, an action that interrupted the supply of essential oil to the South American country. Later that month, the U.S. President, Donald Trump, threatened to impose tariffs on any country that sold or supplied oil to Cuba.</p><p><i>*Content translated with the aid of Artificial Intelligence, reviewed and edited by the Broadcast Editorial Team*</i></p>        <div data-ds-component="ad" data-ad-type="RETANGULO_BF" class="max-w-2xl [&amp;_iframe]:mx-auto z-0 bg-wl-neutral-50 text-xs leading-4 py-4 px-14 text-center text-wl-neutral-500 mx-auto mb-6 xl:px-0 justify-center min-h-[320px]">

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James Whitmore

I am a financial journalist specialising in global markets and long-term investment strategies, with a background in economics and corporate finance. My work focuses on translating complex financial data into clear, actionable insights for private investors and professionals. At Wealth Adviser, I contribute in-depth analysis on equities, macroeconomic trends, and portfolio construction.