“Cuba a été plongée dans le noir lundi après une panne électrique nationale,” reported local sources, highlighting the severity of the situation as the nation faced a complete disconnection of its electrical grid. The outage, which occurred on March 17, 2026, affected approximately 11 million residents across the country.
By the evening of the same day, only 5% of Havana’s residents had their electricity restored, amounting to around 42,000 users. This stark statistic underscores the challenges faced by the capital as it copes with the aftermath of the outage.
The power outage has been attributed to a deteriorating electrical network and reduced oil imports, issues that have plagued Cuba for some time. Local authorities described the event as a “déconnexion complète” of the network, emphasizing the critical state of the infrastructure.
Frequent power cuts have already strained daily life on the island, with residents accustomed to dealing with outages. The situation has become increasingly untenable, prompting concerns about the impact on public services and the economy.
In response to the crisis, Hydro-Québec teams are currently working to restore power in Saint-Charles-Borromée, where over 2,000 residences were left without electricity. The City of Saint-Charles-Borromée has opened a service center for affected residents, providing heated space, charging stations, and coffee to those in need.
As the situation develops, details remain unconfirmed regarding the immediate cause of the national power outage in Cuba and the restoration process for the electrical grid. Authorities are expected to provide updates as they assess the damage and work towards restoring normalcy.
