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Havana: Cubans were gradually getting power back on Wednesday, after the third nationwide power outage in less than 10 days, the national electricity company said.
The island was already struggling to keep the lights on before US President Donald Trump cut off its oil supplies in January, depleting the dwindling supply of fuel for its power plants.
The national power grid went offline at about 11:05am (1505 GMT) on Tuesday, according to the state-run UNE electricity company, leaving the country's 9.6 million inhabitants without power.
Cubans began getting power back late Tuesday, but at around 4am (0800 GMT) on Wednesday only 24 percent of households in Havana had electricity, according to UNE.
"Restoration is being carried out gradually, as permitted by the National Electric System," UNE said on Telegram.
The blackout was caused by a problem with a generating unit at a thermoelectric plant caused a "sudden frequency change," UNE said.
It was the third complete blackout on the Caribbean island since early July and the fifth since the start of 2026.
"I have no words," Maria Caridad Alvarez, a 62-year-old housewife, told AFP. "When I woke up this morning, the power was back and I cooked some beans. Now, I went out and it's off again. It feels like there is no solution."
The energy crisis "is killing people's enthusiasm for life," she said.
David Matias Rodriguez, an 82-year-old retiree, said he was worried the few things in his refrigerator would be spoiled.
In both of last week's blackouts, it took more than 24 hours to restore power across the island of 9.6 million people, a process made slower and more complex by fuel shortages.
Power outages in the capital Havana totalled more than 30 hours at a time, while in the outlying provinces, it was several days before electricity was restored.
Residents in the worst affected areas have vented their frustrations by setting piles of trash on fire or banging on pots and pans.
