Protests Erupt in Havana as Cuba Experiences Prolonged Power Blackouts

U.S. tightened its energy embargo on Cuba. The country relies on imported fossil fuels for the vast majority of its power.

U.S. blocked energy shipments. Havana now faces blackouts for up to 22 hours a day. Critical infrastructure including hospitals is buckling. Doctors in Cuba are struggling to provide even basic medical care.

While Cuba has rapidly deployed solar power, its energy minister said the island had run out of diesel and oil entirely. Semafor reported that the situation in Cuba is not likely to improve any time soon.

U.S. Tightened its embargo on the country, blocking fuel shipments. The protests marked an unusual public outburst in a nation where such demonstrations remain infrequent. Norlys Perez captured images for Reuters showing the scale of the gatherings in the capital as residents voiced frustration with the extended outages.

Cuba's dependence on imported fossil fuels has left its electricity system vulnerable to disruptions in shipments. The energy minister's statement underscored the severity, confirming the complete exhaustion of diesel and oil reserves on the island. Hospitals and other essential services have seen operations curtailed as generators sit idle without fuel.

Medical staff described difficulties in maintaining even routine care amid the prolonged blackouts that now dominate daily life in Havana. Solar installations have been rolled out at speed in recent months in an attempt to diversify supply. Yet the minister's assessment pointed to fundamental fuel shortages that solar alone cannot immediately offset.

The combination of embargo measures and domestic fuel depletion has produced the current crisis. Demonstrators took to the streets on May 14 as the 22-hour daily outages became untenable for many households and businesses.