Cuba to keep daylight saving time until November 2027 due to electricity shortage — The Rio Times

Cuba will keep daylight saving time until November 7, 2027, leaving clocks one hour ahead of standard time. The decision was made by the country’s Ministry of Energy and Mines and the Ministry of Labor and Social Security amid electricity shortages in the evening hours. The Rio Times reports.

According to estimates by the Cuban ministries, extending daylight saving time will make it possible to avoid up to 126 MW of additional outages during the evening peak consumption period. Of this amount, 76 MW is linked to reduced demand for artificial lighting, while another 50 MW is linked to electricity generation by solar panels at that time.

Work and school schedule

Due to the retention of daylight saving time, the start of school classes and the workday in Cuba will be moved 30 minutes later, from November 1, 2026, to March 14, 2027. A joint statement by the ministries said employers may agree on a different schedule with trade unions, while wages will not change.

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After the United States switches to standard time on November 1, Havana will be one hour ahead of Miami, New York and Washington. This difference will remain until March 14, 2027, when the United States switches back to daylight saving time.

Capacity shortage

The national electricity company Unión Eléctrica forecast available capacity of 1,015 MW for the evening of October 24, with maximum demand of 2,850 MW. The expected deficit was 1,835 MW, while the projected volume of outages was 1,865 MW.

The largest generation shortfall on October 23, according to the operator, reached 1,787 MW at 20:00. Cuban ministries linked the fuel shortage for power plants to the tightening of U.S. sanctions. The time decision is aimed at reducing electricity consumption, and the source does not report new fuel supplies.