This Friday the Island reached a record deficit of almost 67% of electricity demand.
14ymedio, Havana, March 7, 2026 – “Abusers! How long is this going to last?” “Turn the power on!” “Díaz-Canel singao*!” and “Down with communism!” were some of the shouts heard on Friday night in several places in western Cuba, especially in Havana. After the most recent collapse of the national electrical system (SEN) three days ago, and given the difficulty of restoring it due to the lack of fuel, the noise of the cacerolazos — banging on pots and pans — once again fills the darkness as a sign of protest.
According to eye-witness reports shared on social media, there were demonstrations in Jagüey Grande (Matanzas) and in neighborhoods of the capital such as Centro Habana, Arroyo Naranjo, Old Havana, San Miguel del Padrón, and Marianao, among others.
Cuban-American congressman Carlos A. Giménez, a representative from Florida, posted on his X profile: “The people of Cuba are in the streets demanding freedom. This moment is incredible.” He also shared videos circulated by conservative influencer Eric Daugherty and images published by independent journalist Thomas van Linge showing that Cuban citizens were protesting in the streets.
Fellow Cuban-American lawmaker María Elvira Salazar reacted on social media by posting a video in which pot-banging protests can be heard from her phone. “Cuba is in the streets asking for freedom. To the dictatorship: not one more abuse against the Cuban people!” the congresswoman says in the video, while also warning Cuban authorities not to repress the protests: “We tell the regime: do not go against them. They have the right to go out into the streets and say whatever they want.”
“Cuba is in the streets asking for freedom. To the dictatorship: not one more abuse against the Cuban people!”
Journalist Mario J. Pentón, from Radio and Television Martí, shared several recordings of the pot-banging protests on social media and said he had verified some of the reports through direct contact with residents.
Some videos, such as the one reported from Arroyo Naranjo, also show that people in the street, in the middle of the blackout, had lit a bonfire around which demonstrators gathered. Other images show the arrival of police patrol cars at the protests, although no cases of violent repression have been reported.
So far, Cuban authorities have not issued public statements about these incidents.
The state telecommunications company Etecsa has had to ration connectivity service in some provinces, limiting it to only a few hours per day.
Accustomed to blackouts lasting more than 20 hours, this is the first time this year that simultaneous pot-banging protests have taken place in numerous municipalities. Last Wednesday, the shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, the largest in the country, triggered a chain reaction that left two-thirds of the country without electricity, from Camagüey to Pinar del Río.
Although service began to be gradually restored, the system continues operating at minimal levels, to the point of producing unprecedented deficit forecasts. For this Friday, an absolute record of 2,158 megawatts (MW) was expected, 70% of demand (3,055 MW). According to today’s report from the Cuban Electric Union, it did not reach that level (2,046 MW), but it still set a record, almost 67% of demand.
In numerous provinces, power outages exceed 20 hours per day, affecting not only household lighting but also water pumping, food refrigeration, transportation, and connectivity. In some provincial areas, the state telecommunications company Etecsa has also had to ration connectivity service, limiting it to only a few hours per day.
*Translator’s note: “Diaz-Canel singao” rhymes. The epithet is variously translated as ‘bastard’, ‘motherfucker’ and other insults.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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