CUBA · ENERGY · ELECTRICITY
Cuba will keep its clocks one hour ahead until 7 November 2027 to ease evening blackouts, the government announced on Saturday 24 October, which puts Havana one hour ahead of Miami and New York from 1 November.
Key Facts
- —Decision Cuba will keep summer time, one hour ahead of standard time, until 7 November 2027.
- —Estimated saving The step avoids an estimated 126 MW of extra blackouts at the evening peak.
- —Time gap From 1 November to 14 March, Havana runs one hour ahead of New York and Miami.
- —Work and school Classes and work start 30 minutes later from 1 November 2026 to 14 March 2027.
- —Grid Outages of 1,865 MW were forecast for Saturday evening, against peak demand of 2,850 MW.
- —Prediction markets Polymarket gives about 7.5% to Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel leaving office by 31 December (25 October, 6:08 a.m. ET).
- —Power Index Cuba ranks 14th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 22.5 points (October 2026 edition).
Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines and its Ministry of Labor and Social Security announced on Saturday 24 October that the country will keep summer time, with clocks one hour ahead of standard time, until 7 November 2027. The ministries say the decision avoids an estimated 126 megawatts (MW) of extra blackouts at the evening peak, as fuel shortages leave the national grid far short of demand.
For US readers the change has a practical effect, because when the United States sets its clocks back on Sunday 1 November, Havana will stay on summer time and run one hour ahead of Miami, New York and Washington until Sunday 14 March 2027. It also shows how deep the electricity shortage is on an island just south of Florida, where outages of more than 1,800 MW were forecast for Saturday evening.
In Plain English
- Summer time is daylight saving time: clocks are set one hour ahead of standard time, so daylight lasts an hour longer into the evening.
- MW is a megawatt, a unit of electric power equal to one million watts, used to measure generation and shortfalls.
- UNE is the Unión Eléctrica, Cuba’s national electricity utility, which publishes daily reports on generation, demand and blackouts.
- Evening peak is the period in the evening when electricity demand is highest, which is when the shortfall in generation is largest.
- Blockade is the term Cuba’s government uses for US sanctions and the US embargo; Washington describes its measures as sanctions.
What Cuba Announced
The two ministries issued a joint note saying summer time stays in force until 7 November 2027, when the switch back would normally fall next year, the Cuban state news site Cubadebate reported on 24 October. The state agency Prensa Latina carried the same details on 25 October and said the note was released on Saturday.
The ministries estimate that the decision avoids 126 MW of extra blackouts at the evening peak, made up of 76 MW saved on artificial light and 50 MW supplied by solar panels at that hour. They link the move to what they call a tightening of the US economic, commercial and financial blockade and an energy siege that has left Cuba short of fuel for generation.
Because the clocks stay forward, the sun will rise later by official time, so schools and workplaces will start 30 minutes later from 1 November 2026 to 14 March 2027, when standard time would have applied. Managers may agree other hours with unions under Article 223.2 of Law 189, the Labor Code of 30 July 2026, and the note says pay is not affected.
The Note in Brief
- —Decision Keep summer time until 7 November 2027, the date the switch back would normally fall.
- —Estimated effect Avoids 126 MW of extra blackouts at the evening peak: 76 MW from lighting and 50 MW from solar.
- —School and work Entry delayed by 30 minutes from 1 November 2026 to 14 March 2027.
Why the Grid Needs It
The grid operator UNE reported that Friday 23 October’s largest shortfall in generation was 1,787 MW at 20:00. At 06:00 on Saturday, available capacity was 915 MW against demand of 2,104 MW, with 1,177 MW affected by outages.
For Saturday evening UNE forecast available capacity of 1,015 MW against maximum demand of 2,850 MW, a deficit of 1,835 MW, and predicted outages of 1,865 MW. The 126 MW the ministries say they are protecting is roughly 7% of that forecast outage, and about 4% of the expected peak demand.
Cuba’s Grid on 23 and 24 October
- —Friday’s worst shortfall 1,787 MW at 20:00.
- —Saturday evening forecast Capacity 1,015 MW, demand 2,850 MW, outages 1,865 MW.
- —Broken-down units Units 1 and 2 at Santa Cruz, unit 2 at Felton, units 3 and 6 at Renté.
CiberCuba, a non-state Cuban news site, reported on Saturday evening that the Antonio Guiteras plant, which it calls the island’s largest, left the grid again at 20:11 because of turbine vibrations, citing UNE’s Facebook page. The site counted earlier outages there on 9, 14 and 20 October.
Energy and Mines Minister Vicente de la O Levy said during a visit to Holguín province that Cuba does not have, and will not have in the short term, fuel supplies, CiberCuba reported on 23 October, citing the state Agencia Cubana de Noticias. The summer-time decision cuts demand instead of adding supply, and the reports of the note announce no new fuel.
What Changes on the Clock
The United States ends daylight saving time at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday 1 November and starts it again on the second Sunday of March, which falls on 14 March 2027, the National Institute of Standards and Technology says. Cuba’s note gives the same dates, 1 November 2026 and 14 March 2027, for the period when standard time would have applied.
From 1 November until 14 March, Havana will therefore be one hour ahead of Miami, New York and Washington, so 9:00 in Miami will be 10:00 in Havana. The gap closes on 14 March 2027, when US clocks move forward, and the Cuban extension is due to end on 7 November 2027, the day US clocks are due to fall back.
Havana Compared With the US East Coast
- —Until 1 November 2026 The same time: both on summer time.
- —1 November 2026 to 14 March 2027 Havana one hour ahead of Miami and New York.
- —14 March to 6 November 2027 The same time again: both on summer time.
- —From 7 November 2027 Cuba’s extension ends; US clocks fall back that day.
What Prediction Markets Say
On Polymarket, traders put about 7.5% on Díaz-Canel ceasing to be Cuba’s president by 31 December, in a market with about US$779,400 traded, and the price is down about 6.5 points over the past month (25 October, 6:08 a.m. ET). The same platform gives about 8.5% to a US-initiated drone, missile or air strike on Cuban soil by 31 December, with about US$5.5 million traded.
A third contract, on an official US-Cuba agreement over trade, tariffs, sanctions or the embargo by 31 December, trades near 11.5% with only about US$34,900 traded, so a few orders can move it. These are bets about politics, not forecasts of the power supply, and none of the contracts is about clocks or electricity.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
What It Means for You
If you are flying to Cuba or calling family there, expect Havana to be one hour ahead of the US East Coast from 1 November until 14 March, and check airline, hotel and appointment times, which are given in local time. People coordinating with schools, offices or businesses on the island should also note that entry times shift by 30 minutes over the same period.
The ministries blame the fuel shortage on US sanctions, while Washington says its measures respond to Cuba’s ties with hostile states: on 15 October Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions on the state-owned bank BICSA over services to an Iranian bank and said the United States will not tolerate “a rogue state hosting hostile foreign military, intelligence and terror operations less than a hundred miles from the American homeland.” For readers following US-Cuba policy, the extension shows that Havana is managing shortages by cutting demand while no new fuel supply has been announced.
For companies with operations or suppliers in Cuba, UNE’s figures show a forecast deficit of more than 1,800 MW at the evening peak, far larger than the 126 MW the extension is meant to protect. For Cuban families in the United States, the same report says service was affected for all 24 hours on Friday, including through the early hours of the morning.
What Is Not Known
The details come from two Cuban state media outlets that reproduce the note, and no copy on a ministry website could be opened on Sunday morning. The reports give no method for the 126 MW estimate, and no independent check of it has been published.
Open Questions
- —The estimate How the ministries reached 126 MW, and whether blackouts fall by that much.
- —Airlines and businesses Whether airlines, banks or private firms will change their own schedules.
- —The end date Whether 7 November 2027 holds, since the reports mention no review date.
- —Fuel When new fuel supplies will arrive, as no shipment is announced in the note.
The cause of the shortage is disputed, because the Cuban government blames US sanctions and Washington points to Cuba’s ties with Iran and other hostile states. The daily UNE reports in the coming weeks will show whether the longer evening daylight lowers outages at the peak.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Cuba change its clocks on 1 November?
It will not. The government has decided to keep summer time, so Cuban clocks stay one hour ahead of standard time until 7 November 2027.
What is the time difference between Cuba and the US East Coast?
From 1 November 2026 to 14 March 2027, Havana will be one hour ahead of Miami and New York. Before and after that period the two share the same clock.
Why is Cuba keeping summer time?
The ministries say it avoids an estimated 126 MW of extra blackouts at the evening peak, 76 MW from less lighting and 50 MW from solar power. They link the fuel shortage to US sanctions.
When will schools and workplaces open?
From 1 November 2026 to 14 March 2027, entry to schools and workplaces is delayed by 30 minutes. Managers can agree other hours with unions without cutting pay.
How bad are Cuba’s blackouts?
The grid operator forecast outages of 1,865 MW at Saturday evening’s peak, against expected demand of 2,850 MW. Friday’s largest shortfall in generation was 1,787 MW.
Connected Coverage
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- —Explainer Cuba Energy Crisis Explained: Why the Grid Keeps Failing
- —Travel Can Americans Still Travel to Cuba in 2026?
- —News Cuba Grid Splits in East as 1,680 MW Shortfall Looms
- —News Cuba Airports Lack Jet Fuel Until 1 November
Sources: Cubadebate, joint note of the Ministry of Energy and Mines and the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, 24 October 2026, Prensa Latina, 25 October 2026, Cubadebate, Unión Eléctrica grid report, 24 October 2026, CiberCuba, on the Guiteras plant, 24 October 2026, CiberCuba, on Minister de la O Levy, 23 October 2026, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Daylight Saving Time rules, US State Department, statement on BICSA, 15 October 2026. Prediction-market prices are from Polymarket public data on 25 October, 6:08 a.m. ET. All retrieved 25 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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