Cuban Electrical Grid Collapse Triggers Island-Wide Blackout

Published on Sep 11, 2025, 6:45 am CDT

5 min read

Cuba experienced a nationwide outage on September 10, 2025 after a Cuban electrical grid collapse disconnected the National Electric System, cutting power across the island. The National Electric Union linked the disruption to an unexpected trip at the CTE Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, with restoration proceeding gradually. Authorities prioritized essential services while crews built temporary local systems to bring pockets back online. Travelers should plan for intermittent connectivity, slower card processing, and schedule variability as the grid stabilizes. Airlines and hotels may adjust operations with little notice.

Key Points

Why it matters: Power loss can affect airport lighting, fueling, check-in, and baggage systems, slowing traveler flows.
Travel impact: Wi-Fi, mobile data, and card terminals may be unreliable, lengthening lines at hotels and transport hubs.
What's next: Phased restoration is underway, with rotating outages likely as large units restart and balance returns.
ECASA indicated airports could operate on generators to maintain service during the outage.
Carry cash, printed confirmations, and charged battery packs to bridge digital gaps.

Snapshot

The outage began around 9:14 a.m. local time on September 10 when the national grid disconnected following a major unit's trip, likely at the Antonio Guiteras plant in Matanzas. Officials said causes were under investigation while essential circuits were energized first. Reports from Havana described dark traffic signals, slower mobile networks, and long lines at shops and fuel stations. Power returned in pockets overnight through temporary local "microsystems," with wider synchronization to follow as generation and transmission assets are checked and restarted. The blackout is the fourth or fifth nationwide event since late 2024, reflecting aging plants, limited fuel, and maintenance backlogs.

Background

Cuba's thermal fleet carries the baseload, with older oil-fired units that struggle under summer demand and scarce spare parts. Reduced oil imports in recent months tightened fuel inventories, leaving little margin to cover forced outages. When a large unit like CTE Antonio Guiteras trips, frequency and voltage stability can fall fast across the island's single synchronous network, prompting separation to protect equipment. Authorities then rebuild the system in blocks, energizing essential loads first, before closing loops and ramping up generation. For travelers, this means wide swings in service levels hour to hour. Recent airline schedule trims to Havana also reduce redundancy, see United pauses Houston to Havana, Southwest trims Tampa to Havana and United Drops Houston-Havana Nonstop: What Travelers Can Do.

Latest Developments

Cuban electrical grid collapse timeline and phased restoration

Officials reported a total disconnection of the national grid at 9:14 a.m. on September 10, citing a likely trip at CTE Antonio Guiteras. Crews began restoring power through localized systems to feed hospitals, food facilities, and public safety first, then moved to broader reintegration. State media and wire services noted that many residents had already been enduring extended daily blackouts before the collapse, which compounds stress on equipment and fuel stockpiles. By late evening, electricity was returning in parts of Havana and other provinces, but authorities cautioned that rotating outages would continue as units restart and load is rebalanced.

Airports on backup power, cards and connectivity remain spotty

Cuba's airport operator, ECASA, indicated that airports could maintain operations using generators during the outage, helping sustain flights and core aviation services. Even with backup power, travelers faced slower check-in and payment flows given weak connectivity and intermittent acquiring networks. José Martí International Airport (HAV), Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport (VRA), and Antonio Maceo Airport (SCU) may operate with contingency procedures during grid instability. Expect airlines to pad ground times, gate changes to ripple, and baggage delivery to slow when systems reboot.

Analysis

For U.S. travelers, the operational risk in Cuba over the next several days stems from power stability and fuel availability, not airspace constraints. A synchronized restart requires reliable generation, adequate reserves, and clean transmission paths. Any hiccup at Guiteras or other large units can trigger renewed load shedding. Airports can ride through with generators, but terminal Wi-Fi, acquiring networks, and some security and baggage systems frequently degrade during extended outages. Hotels vary widely in generator capacity, diesel access, and UPS design; higher-end properties often perform better, while casa particulares depend on neighborhood power. Payment friction is likely, so cash remains king. Build bigger buffers between flights and surface transfers, especially for late-evening operations when demand spikes and diesels run low. Given recent U.S. carrier schedule reductions into Havana, recovery options are thinner, so proactively move to earlier flights when reaccommodation is offered. Keep paper copies of entry documents, return flights, and lodging details in case networks fail at checkpoints.

Final Thoughts

Travel can continue in Cuba during grid instability, but it demands flexibility and analog backup. Carry cash for incidentals, print confirmations, pre-download offline maps, and pack extra battery capacity. Monitor airline and hotel messages closely, allow generous buffers for airport transfers, and expect intermittent outages as major units stabilize. With repeated nationwide events since late 2024, resilience varies by province and supplier, so plans that assume digital convenience should be revised. Until generation, fuel, and maintenance improve, Cuba's travelers must plan around the potential for another Cuban electrical grid collapse.