Electricity in Cuba

Electricity in Cuba is an interesting topic. If you travel a lot you know that every country can have its specific power plugs and wall sockets. To Cuba, you can bring your mobile phone or laptop charger, hairdryer or shaver and have it powered from the hotel or a casa particular wall socket. In the last few years, the infrastructure has improved, so there’s no need to get worried about the electricity in Cuba.

Cuba electricity generation mostly depends on coal powerplants and import. Thus electricity is not free in Cuba. Sometimes in the night there can be power outages due to repairs on the electricity network. In these cases Cuban electricity restrictions will last not more than 6 hours. In Cuba plug type C adapter had been in use, but nowadays Cuban power grid can also provide 220 volts to be flexible for EU travelers.

What plugs are used in Cuba?

Many hotels and casa particular, not only in Havana and Varadero but also in other parts of the country, offer nowadays multiple power options for their guests who are coming to Cuba mainly from the USA, Europe, UK, Japan or Australia. The power supply in Cuba is versatile, ranging from the classic American 110-volt wall socket to 220-volt European socket.

cuba power adapter us eu
Because there are both energy options 8110 volts and 220 volts) it is sometimes confusing what adapter to bring to Cuba.

A pro tip: if you find yourself wihout plug adapter in Cuba, just stop at the nearest local hotel and ask for the lost & found items. There surely will also be an electricity adapter in the box you can take.

Electricity adapter for Cuba

In every casa particular we stayed at on our 2018 family trip to Cuba, there were both power options available from the wall. We brought power adapters with us, but we only needed them occasionally. These power adapters cost up to 10 USD or euros in our home countries. And in Cuba, we realized it was an unnecessary investment.

Power adapter Electricity (voltage)
EU to Cuban If converting: 110 volts
UK to Cuban 110 volts
Italian to Cuban If converting: 100 volts
Australian to Cuban 110 volts
Japanese to Cuban 110 volts
USA to Cuban 110 volts

The adapters you can buy in your local electronics shop before you travel to Cuba are normally made to rewire the electricity from one form of the plug to another. This means that if you bring a 220 volts phone charger from Europe to Cuba it will not transform 110 volts into 220 volts, but it will only connect the charger to the wall socket. Before you decide what electronic devices to bring to Cuba, read if the device can also be charged by 110 volts – even though you use it as a 220 volts device. Warning: never plug a 110 volts device into a 220 volts power source. It will start melting the internal circuit and will present a life-threatening situation.

Electric Energy in Cuba

In the past years, Cuba has modernized its electrical infrastructure. Now there are 110 volts and 220 volts options available in every household, casa particular and international hotels.

220 volts meter
In Trinidad, there is an electric energy power meter on every street corner. As you can see it measures 220-volt energy consumption.
cuba electricity power energey
Transformators are being installed by the national electricity provider to bring 110 volts and 220 volts in each house.