News · Energy
Cuba keeps daylight saving time until November 2027 to avoid 126 MW more of blackouts
The ministries of Energy and Mines and of Labor announced on 24 October that the clocks will not go back on 1 November. The measure seeks to avoid an estimated increase of 126 MW in the shortfall during peak evening demand, and school and workplace start times will be pushed back 30 minutes.
The Ministry of Energy and Mines and the Ministry of Labor and Social Security announced in a joint statement the decision to keep daylight saving time in place until 7 November 2027, the date on which the change would be due next year. The clocks will not go back on 1 November, as had been scheduled.
According to the statement, keeping daylight saving time will make it possible to avoid an estimated increase of 126 MW in blackouts during the evening peak demand hours. Of that figure, 76 MW correspond to the saving from not resorting to artificial lighting and 50 MW to photovoltaic solar generation during those same hours.
With the clock kept one hour ahead, sunrise will come later by official time. To soften that, school and workplace start times will be pushed back 30 minutes between 1 November 2026 and 14 March 2027. Heads of entities may adjust the working day by agreement with the union, under article 223.2 of the Labor Code, with no effect on pay.
The government attributes the measure to the “tightening of the economic, commercial and financial blockade” by the United States and, in particular, to the “energy encirclement” that, according to the official statement, has caused the shortage of fuel to generate electricity, in wording translated by Yamacoa.
The decision also opens a time gap with the diaspora. From 1 November, Miami, Hialeah, Orlando and New York will be one hour behind Havana, because the United States does return to winter time; Madrid will be five hours ahead of the Cuban capital and the Canary Islands four.
The announcement coincides with a day of severe shortfall: for Saturday 24 October, the Unión Eléctrica forecast availability of 915 MW against demand of 2,850 MW at peak, with a maximum expected shortfall of 1,865 MW.
Sources: Cubadebate · Periódico Cubano · Serie Yamacoa: Afectación eléctrica máxima prevista en el horario pico (Unión Eléctrica (UNE))
Data updated: 2026-10-25T04:15:00.000Z