What happened

Cuba's Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant in Matanzas, the island's largest single generating unit, tripped offline at around 11:00 a.m. local time on 18 October 2024, removing an estimated 1.64 gigawatts of capacity — roughly half of national peak demand — and causing Cuba's National Electric System to disconnect completely, cutting power to essentially the entire population of about 10 million people. Cuban authorities closed schools and non-essential state workplaces to reduce demand while grid operators attempted to rebuild the system through local microgrids. Power was partially restored over the following two days, but the grid collapsed again in full on 20 October, compounded by the approach of Hurricane Oscar in eastern Cuba. By 22 October roughly 71% of the population had power restored, and authorities reported the grid substantially stabilized with full restoration by 24 October. Cuban officials attributed the crisis to fuel shortages, an aging and poorly maintained generation fleet, and years of deferred investment, while the government has separately pointed to the effect of U.S. sanctions on its ability to import fuel and spare parts; no attack or sabotage was reported or alleged in connection with this event. This was the first in a recurring series of nationwide Cuban grid collapses (further total blackouts followed in December 2024 and repeatedly through 2025–2026, including the 2 August 2026 collapse already recorded here).

When cited sources give different casualty, damage or spill figures for this event, they’re reported side by side above rather than merged into one number. See how confidence levels work.