US EditionCubans rendered powerless as outages persist and tensions with US escalate
A substation failure left 3.4 million in eastern Cuba without power amid dwindling oil supplies and U.S. sanctions, worsening an ongoing energy crisis with daily 20-hour outages.
- On February 4, a substation failure in Holguín, Cuba triggered a cascading blackout across four eastern provinces, cutting power to 3.4 million people including Santiago de Cuba, Cuba's second-largest city.
- Years of neglect and fuel shortages have left Cuba's national electricity system with a 1,510-megawatt deficit, producing only half the electricity it needed last year from aging Soviet-era thermoelectric plants.
- The trip knocked offline the Felton thermoelectric plant, the Moa generation engines, and two Renté plant units after a Holguín 220-kilovolt substation fault at 8:54 PM Wednesday, plunging the eastern provinces into darkness amid four grid collapses in six months.
- Communities facing over 20 hours without power now confront economic strain with over 15% contraction since 2020 and 10% emigration, while protesters jailed for chanting `we want electricity`.
- On January 29, U.S. threatened tariffs, Cuba's reserves fell to 15-20 days, and Venezuelan shipments stopped after January 3, intensifying the energy squeeze, Cuban government calls it an `oil siege`.
91 Articles
91 Articles
Chicago Tribune
By The Associated Press Cubans survive without electricity as blackouts continue and tensions with the United States rise. Wildfires in Argentina ravage the virgin forests of Patagonia. After Mexico's vaping ban, cartels tighten their grip on a booming market. ___ This photo gallery highlights some of the best news images taken by Associated Press photographers in Latin America and the Caribbean published between January 30 and February 5, 2026.…
NiagaraFallsReview.ca
Cuba’s power outages and other top photos from Latin America and the Caribbean
Jan. 30 - Feb. 1, 2026
Daily Journal
Cuba's power outages and other top photos from Latin America and the Caribbean
Jan. 30 - Feb. 1, 2026
The first week of February has highlighted some of the challenges faced by Cuba in this start of the year. Upon the overthrow of its ally Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela and the growing pressures of the United States, these days have added new problems of energy supply and a decrease in temperatures to which the island is not used. In short, a panorama that President Miguel Díaz-Canel seemed to summarize at the beginning of the press conference that…
The smell of sulphur is very strong in the coastal and oil town, which houses one of Cuba's largest thermoelectric power stations. Yet, even as the power plant resumes service, the inhabitants remain in the dark, surrounded by energy sources that they cannot use.
Cubans rendered powerless as outages persist and tensions with U.S. escalate
The smell of sulfur hits hard in this coastal town that produces petroleum and is home to one of Cuba’s largest thermoelectric plants. Yet, even as the plant cranks back to life, residents remain in the dark, surrounded by energy sources they cannot use.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 45% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
