Cuba in the dark as power grid collapses again

Cuba’s energy crisis continues to make headlines as residents of the island nation have been plunged into darkness once again.

According to reports, Cuba’s energy grid collapsed Wednesday (Dec. 4), leaving millions without power, marking the latest in a series of failures related to old infrastructure, hurricanes and economic uncertainty.

As reported by CNN, Cuba’s state-run utility company, the Cuban Electric Union, said workers are trying to restore the country’s grid back but local officials have warned residents that it could take days.

The Cuban government has ordered a “suspension of work and teaching activities,” Cuba’s Minister of Labor and Social Security, Marta Elena Feito said.

READ MORE: With Cuba in damage control, Sunwing shifts focus to “hidden gems”; 26 Cuban hotels removed

“This measure will remain in place for the duration of the crisis. Vital services will continue to function and there will be no salary impact,” state media quoted her as saying.

Lights out

For nearly a week in October, most of Cuba faced near-total blackouts – its worst energy outage in decades.

Airports and most resorts, however, continued to operate, using generators.

In an exclusive interview with PAX last month, Samantha Taylor, chief marketing officer at Sunwing Vacations Group, which sells a lot of Cuba, said more than 90 per cent of its properties, during the power outage, continued to operate thanks to generators.

Guests staying at Sunwing-approved hotels that had no power were moved to hotels that did, she said.

Cuba’s October blackout was also specific to some areas and not others. Destinations like Cayo Largo, a small island that Sunwing took under its wing in 2022, and Cienfuegos on the island’s south coast weren’t impacted, Taylor said.

Nonetheless, consumer confidence in Cuba this winter is lower than usual. So much so that Sunwing has been promoting "hidden gem" destinations that are less precarious.

Shortly after the October blackout was resolved, Cuba suffered another blow after Hurricane Rafael ripped through the island as a Category 3 storm, knocking out power once again.

In this case, the electricity was restored immediately, instead of days, said the Cuba Tourist Board.

This week's outage was triggered by a failure at the Antonio Guiteras power plant in Matanzas, which shut down at around 2 a.m. local time, Reuters reports.

PAX has contacted the Cuba Tourist Board for comment.

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