Cuba’s electrical grid has collapsed again. This time, the blackouts hit the capital’s high-rises, plunging thousands into darkness for hours on end. Sources inside the state-run energy monopoly confirm the system is running on fumes. No spare parts. No fuel. Just desperation.
British engineers, flown in under a quiet technical assistance agreement, have now submitted an emergency report. They recommend immediate load shedding, distributed generation via diesel generators, and a complete audit of the grid’s infrastructure. One engineer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told me: “The network is held together with tape and hope. They need a proper recovery plan, not patchwork fixes.”
The blackouts are not random. They follow a pattern of chronic underinvestment and a crippling US embargo that blocks access to modern equipment. But inside the government, there is also talk of mismanagement. Documents uncovered by this journalist show millions in hard currency designated for grid upgrades were diverted to other projects. No one is willing to say who authorised it.
Meanwhile, the people suffer. In Havana’s Vedado district, residents told me they have gone without power for 12 hours at a stretch. Food spoils. Medical equipment fails. Children study by candlelight. The British team’s advice, if followed, could stabilise the grid within six months. But that depends on political will and, crucically, finding the missing funds.
A spokesperson for the Cuban Energy Ministry did not respond to requests for comment. The British Foreign Office says it is “monitoring the situation closely” but declined to discuss details of the advisory mission.
This is not a story about weather or capacity. It is about accountability. The blackouts are a symptom of a system that has stopped working for its people. British engineers have handed them a road map. Now the question is: who will pay for the map, and who will follow it?
