The increasingly frequent power outages plaguing Cuba's capital have left the bustling G Street in complete darkness. Just a few blocks away, however, the towering Iberostar Selection La Habana, commonly referred to as Tower K, remains brightly illuminated, as shown in a video circulating on social media.
Shared on X by user Madara el cubano, the footage depicts a nighttime scene in Vedado where streets and residential buildings, including the student residence at 25 and G, are engulfed in darkness.
In these images, the headlights of cars, motorcycles, and a moving bus are virtually the sole sources of light visible in the area.
The video starkly contrasts with the fully lit, controversial skyscraper, inaugurated in 2025, standing prominently amidst widespread darkness in one of Havana's central areas. This location was once a popular gathering spot for numerous groups, especially young people.
The scene has sparked numerous reactions on social media, with users questioning if this is the state of one of Havana's hearts, what must the situation be like in other neighborhoods and municipalities?
The video emerged as Cuba faces another day of widespread blackouts. According to the Electric Union, service was disrupted for 24 hours on Saturday, with a peak outage of 1,969 MW, exceeding expectations. A similar situation was anticipated for Sunday during peak evening hours.
In Havana, the Electric Company confirmed the service was disrupted for 18 hours and 25 minutes on Saturday. The peak disruption reached 448 MW at 6:45 pm, and restoring service was impossible due to a generation shortfall. Additionally, 150 MW were affected by emergencies.
Authorities acknowledge that several thermoelectric units remain out of service due to breakdowns or maintenance, while limitations in thermal generation continue to accumulate. Although solar parks contribute energy to the system, their output is insufficient to compensate for the collapse of conventional generation.
The image of a darkened Vedado, with a hotel shining in the blackout, has become a new emblem of the country's current state.
For many Cubans, this is not merely an electrical outage but a visible representation of a failing system where scarcity and sacrifice are disproportionately borne by the population.
In public discourse, comedian Ulises Toirac recently offered a perspective that shifted the focus from the isolated event to the structural issue: the blackout as a normalized routine rather than an anomaly.
Without delving into numbers or slogans, he highlighted the psychological toll of living in darkness, the erosion of daily life, and the rhetorical trap of presenting hardship as resilience—an idea resonating with the shared experience of many urban sectors across the country.
The Reality of Blackouts in Cuba
What areas of Havana are most affected by blackouts?
Central areas like Vedado experience significant blackouts, but other neighborhoods and municipalities face even more severe conditions.
How has the public reacted to the blackouts?
The public has expressed frustration and concern on social media, with many highlighting the unequal impact of these outages across different regions.
Why are the blackouts occurring with such frequency?
Frequent blackouts result from breakdowns or maintenance of thermoelectric units and insufficient output from alternative energy sources like solar parks.