Cuba on the Brink: Economic Crisis, Energy Grid Failures, and Mass Exodus

Millions of Cubans endure power outages lasting up to 20 hours a day as essential services grind to a halt and money runs out. How did Cuba reach this breaking point? By Prof. Nicolas Forsans

Cuba is grappling with its worst economic crisis in 30 years, as millions endure power outages lasting up to 20 hours a day, and essential services grind to a halt. With food rotting in fridges and no clean water, a crumbling energy grid leaves the island on the brink of collapse. The latest failure of the Antonio Guiteras power plant—one of the island’s largest—has pushed Cuba into a state of emergency. As Cuba’s energy crisis deepens, the collapse of its outdated power plants has exposed the island’s long-standing reliance on Venezuelan oil and the crushing impact of U.S. sanctions, contributing to the island’s economic woes.

With the U.S. embargo in place for over six decades and the Cuban government running out of funds, the island’s economy has deteriorated rapidly. But as young Cubans flee the country in record numbers, the question remains: can President Miguel Díaz-Canel’s government survive this economic storm, or is Cuba heading towards a tipping point?