"We have power outages every day": the US blockade worsens the reality of a Cuba on the brink

BarcelonaMore than half the country is plunged into darkness practically every day for several hours. This is the reality Cubans must live with as a result of the economic strangulation the United States maintains on the island. In addition to the already common daily partial blackouts, there are now nationwide blackouts, which are becoming increasingly frequent. Last week, the entire island was plunged into darkness simultaneously on two occasions, bringing the total to seven total blackouts in the country in the last year and a half, while the population faces one of the worst supply crises in decades.

The US-imposed halt to oil imports to the island At the beginning of the year, coupled with the decades-long siege that Washington has maintained over Havana, an already critical situation has worsened in a country where more than 90% of electricity comes from fossil fuels, mostly oil. "Every day we have outages of at least two hours, sometimes going two days straight without electricity," Florentino, a resident of Baracoa, a town in the east of the country far from the capital, told ARA. While in Havana power outages are generally restored within a few hours, in some provinces the lack of supply is prolonged due to the fragility of the grid and the resulting complexity of reconnecting it. "During the outages, we cook with charcoal or firewood in the street. We have everything set up to do it that way, and we don't take it down because we face this situation daily," Florentino explained in an unstable phone call.

Across the country, the constant interruption of the electricity supply threatens essential services such as hospital care and public water systems. Sources at the Ramón González Coro Maternity Hospital, located in Havana, explain that during blackouts they manage to maintain medical care thanks to electric generators. But not all hospitals in the country have their own generators, so when a power outage occurs, restoring power to hospitals is prioritized. However, healthcare personnel worry that the outages will begin to last longer and cause serious and irreversible consequences for patients who need continuous treatment. To try to mitigate the impact of the outages, the Castro regime has accelerated investments in generating electricity through solar energy to achieve energy independence. According to data from ICEX, the Spanish Foreign Trade Institute, Cuba generated only 3% of its energy from renewable sources in 2024, while by 2025 solar energy alone would represent 9% of the country's energy mix. Furthermore, it is estimated that today 38% of the electricity consumed during daylight hours comes from solar panels, although the country lacks the capacity to store the energy and cannot maintain that percentage when the sun sets. With an extremely fragile grid that requires many upgrades and maintenance, Cuba is still far fromto ensure that the effects are noticeable among the population and avoid widespread outages.

Humanitarian aid to alleviate the supply crisis

Adding to the instability of the electricity supply is a supply crisis that worsens with each passing day. "Most people are having difficulty accessing basic food items. There's a real need. We have to buy the cheapest products to make ends meet," says Florentino. "We not only have to pay for food, but also for electricity and water bills, for example." In medical centers, sources within the sector confirm that many treatments are sustained by material contributions from individuals. The US blockade has exacerbated an already dire situation in the healthcare system, delaying non-urgent medical care. According to data from the Cuban government, 96,387 patients are currently awaiting surgery. Given the lack of a decisive response from the international community, a group of organizations and prominent figures from around the world have launched the Convoy Our America initiative, which aims to collect and deliver humanitarian aid to the country. Figures such as Pablo Iglesias, Jeremy Corbyn, the Irish rap group Kneecap, and Amazon workers' union founder Chris Smalls have shown their support for the initiative.

At first it was presented as a flotillaHowever, the organizers have ultimately diversified the channels for channeling international solidarity, citing efficiency in the face of the "countless requests" to support the humanitarian mission. In addition to a ship traveling through the Caribbean, aid is also reaching the island via cargo flights and in the luggage of individuals who have traveled to Cuba in recent days. The convoy's flagship arrived in Havana this Tuesday with 14 tons of food and medicine, 73 solar panels, and a dozen bicycles, and two smaller vessels are expected to arrive in the coming hours. This aid will supplement what arrived last week, when the country's president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, met with some members of the initiative in Havana. The organization acknowledges that the mission is "a drop in an ocean of Cuba's needs," caused by "more than six decades under the US blockade." Therefore, they present the initiative as a way to show political support for the country, and urge the international community to act against Washington's oil blockade, which is contrary to international law according to the UN.