This past Sunday, Cuban comedian and actor Ulises Toirac took to Facebook to share a brutally honest reflection on life amidst the constant power outages in Cuba. His post paints a vivid picture of the survival mode adopted by millions of Cubans and ends with a pointed political critique of the island's leadership.
Toirac captures the daily grind of navigating one's home by the dim glow of a rechargeable bulb, rationing water carefully due to the unpredictability of supply, and living under the constant threat of darkness every time the electricity returns.
He coins the term "sobremurió" to describe a loved one who died of "natural causes," worn down by the relentless misery and frustration of a life rendered pointless by anonymity.
Children, Toirac notes, are seen arguing in the streets, their bodies "thin, sweaty, and grimy." He also criticizes the failure of ETECSA towers during outages, as their dead batteries leave paying customers without communication services.
"The most painful part is that there's no end in sight," Toirac writes, delivering one of the harshest assessments of Cuba's ongoing crisis from a public figure within the country. "It will continue to worsen indefinitely because there are no solutions to this Holocaust."
His reflection concludes with an unambiguous political jab: "Look at how you're enduring this, watching well-fed individuals on both sides decide what's best for you."
This publication arrives at a historically dire moment for Cuba's energy sector. On July 8, the National Electric System recorded an unprecedented shortfall of 2,341 MW, impacting 73% of the population simultaneously.
By July 10, the country experienced its fourth total blackout of the year, the eighth within two years, with just 935 MW available against a demand of 3,100 MW. In Matanzas, power cuts have stretched to 87 consecutive hours, while Havana averages 15 hours of outages daily.
The root causes are deeply embedded: power plants, aged 40 to 60 years, lack maintenance; 106 distributed generation stations remain idle due to fuel shortages; and Venezuelan oil supplies have been disrupted since January 2026.
The regime's response has been strikingly hollow. Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz blamed the U.S. embargo, labeling it "genocidal," while ignoring the decades of underinvestment and mismanagement by the regime itself.
Just days before the collapse, President Miguel Díaz-Canel merely suggested improving the scheduling of blackouts, without proposing any measures to increase power generation capacity.
This past Sunday also marked the fifth anniversary of the July 11, 2021 protests, with pot-banging demonstrations in Guanabacoa and protests in Old Havana, where residents chanted, "We want freedom, not electricity."
Toirac's reflection is the culmination of a week of outspoken criticism. On July 4, he called for the release of all political prisoners and questioned the nature of a revolution that dictates who must step forward.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Cuban Energy Crisis
What are the main causes of the ongoing power outages in Cuba?
The power outages in Cuba are primarily due to outdated power plants that lack maintenance, a shortage of fuel for distributed generation stations, and interrupted oil supplies from Venezuela.
How has the Cuban government responded to the energy crisis?
The Cuban government's response has been to blame the U.S. embargo and suggest better organization of blackouts, without introducing measures to increase power generation.
What impact have the power outages had on the Cuban population?
The outages have severely affected daily life, leading to long hours of darkness, disrupted communication services, and a general sense of hopelessness among the Cuban people.