While Miguel Díaz-Canel boasts on social media about the "record-breaking recovery" of the National Electric System (SEN), countless Havana residents are left in darkness due to new failures in the capital's electrical circuits. In the Telegram group of the Empresa Eléctrica de La Habana, users have reported that blackouts are impacting numerous areas in Habana del Este, Playa, and San Miguel del Padrón, contradicting official claims of the system's supposed stability.
According to reports from the company itself: In Habana del Este, areas 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and Micro 4 are without power, along with the neighborhoods of Soterrado Panamericanos, Camilo Cienfuegos, Villa Panamericana, Cojímar, and Guama Bahía. In San Miguel del Padrón, the affected areas include La Rosita, La Cumbre, Diezmero, Dolores, Tejas, Florida, and La Caridad. In Playa, power outages cover streets 42 from 9th to 39A; 9th from 42 to 76; 25 from 26 to 42; 34 from 17 to 41; and the La Sierra area.
The Official Narrative vs. Reality
The company has attributed the outages to circuit failures, yet it has not provided any concrete timeline for restoration. These new disruptions occur just hours after Díaz-Canel declared that the SEN had been restored following a nationwide blackout on Wednesday, marking the second national outage of 2025 and the fifth in less than a year. The leader praised the efforts of the Ministry of Energy and Mines and the Electric Union on X, once again blaming the U.S. embargo and the aging Cuban plants.
However, the stark contrast between government announcements and the reality on the ground is glaringly obvious. The so-called "record" of recovery translates into endless nights without electricity for many neighborhoods, spoiled food, children studying by candlelight, and entire families resigned to a service that persistently fails.
An Unreliable System That Fails to Recover
Each new blackout only confirms that the technical reconnection of the SEN does not ensure stability for the public. What the government touts as an achievement is, for Cubans, a painful routine of living between promises of recovery and the certainty that the next outage is just around the corner. While Havana remains in darkness due to "circuit failures," the true record is set by an outdated electrical system that condemns the island to darkness and decline.
Questions About Cuba's Electrical Issues
What areas in Havana are currently experiencing power outages?
Havana neighborhoods like Habana del Este, Playa, and San Miguel del Padrón are facing power outages due to circuit failures.
What reasons are given for the current blackouts in Havana?
The power outages have been attributed to circuit failures, but the company has not specified when power will be restored.
How does the government explain the recent power grid failures?
The government blames the failures on the U.S. embargo and the aging infrastructure of Cuban power plants.