Cuba has been grappling with a significant power crisis, suffering widespread blackouts that have left millions of residents in the dark, most recently after a massive grid collapse on March 15. The Reuters reported that the outage affected approximately 10 million people, significantly impairing daily life. At about 8:15 p.m. local time on Friday, an incident at the Diezmero substation triggered a chain reaction that led to the shutdown of power generation across the island.

By Saturday, Cuba's national grid was generating only a fraction of the required electricity, around 225 megawatts, which was insufficient to meet the energy demands of vital sectors like hospitals. Authorities have been working frantically to restore power amidst ongoing issues like fuel shortages and an aging infrastructure, with Al Jazeera highlighting that many regions were experiencing power cuts lasting up to twenty hours a day.

President Miguel Diaz-Canel assured that authorities were "working intensely to restore stability" as the island faced mounting pressure due to an economic crisis exacerbated by tightened US sanctions. Despite the challenges, reports indicated progress, with the South China Morning Post noting that power was being restored to Havana after the outage.

Efforts continued to establish microgrids to enhance electricity distribution, particularly aimed at priority areas like healthcare. In a move to ensure long-term sustainability, Cuba's government is investing in solar energy projects to reduce reliance on outdated oil-fired plants. By late Sunday, power was back on for twothirds of Havana's residents, though the overall system still struggled to meet the island's total demand.

The widespread outages are a stark reminder of Cuba's ongoing energy struggles, a situation that has prompted residents to express their frustration as they navigate day-to-day life without consistent power.