Cuba’s Repeated Grid Collapses Deepen Islandwide Crisis

Millions of people in Cuba were left without electricity on Friday after the country’s entire power grid experienced what the energy ministry described as a “total disconnection.” The outage began shortly before 14:00 local time, or 18:00 GMT, and was attributed by grid operator UNE to a transmission fault combined with poor weather in central Cuba. By late Friday, electricity had been restored to some priority locations in Havana, including areas near hospitals and water-pumping stations, while a broader, gradual restoration continued into Saturday. The blackout was at least the sixth partial or nationwide power failure in Cuba this year. The country’s ageing electricity infrastructure is under severe pressure, while chronic fuel shortages have been intensified by US sanctions and an oil blockade. Cuba depends heavily on imported fuel, and the shortages have also affected food and medicine supplies. Hospitals have struggled to operate normally, while schools and government offices have been forced to close. Residents described repeated outages, water and cooking-gas shortages, and fears that power could remain off for days. The worsening crisis has contributed to rare protests, despite Cuba’s ban on unauthorised demonstrations and the risk of imprisonment for participants. Cuba’s government has blamed the fuel crisis on the Trump administration and condemned US sanctions. Venezuela had reportedly supplied Cuba with approximately 35,000 barrels of oil per day—about half of Cuba’s needs—until Venezuelan supplies were disrupted after the United States seized President Nicolás Maduro in January, according to the article. President Donald Trump has threatened tariffs against countries sending oil to Cuba, and some shipments have been seized. Washington attributes the crisis to poor internal management and has accused Cuba of posing a national security threat, while Trump has discussed removing the country’s leadership.

Cuba’s national power grid collapsed again on Friday, leaving millions across the island without electricity and marking at least the sixth nationwide failure this year. The Ministry of Energy and Mines said the outage began after a transmission-line failure in western Cuba, reportedly affecting areas as far as Matanzas province. The eastern part of the country was later disconnected, while unstable weather further worsened the situation, according to the state newspaper Granma. Authorities began service-restoration efforts, establishing small power-distribution “micro-islands” in Camagüey, Pinar del Río and Granma and reactivating systems serving hospitals and other emergency facilities. By evening, electricity had been restored to only 5% of Havana’s roughly 862,000 customers. Residents described uncertainty, frustration and worsening living conditions, with frequent outages disrupting transportation, food preparation, water supplies, communications and work. The article attributes the increasing frequency of grid failures to Cuba’s severe economic crisis, aging infrastructure, fuel shortages and the lack of replacement parts. It reports that the situation deteriorated after the United States imposed energy restrictions in January intended to pressure Cuba’s government. The restrictions have limited Cuba’s ability to import fuel for thermoelectric plants and equipment needed to maintain obsolete infrastructure. According to the article, only one fuel tanker, from Russia, has arrived since the restrictions began. Recent nationwide blackouts occurred in August, July and March, while regional outages have continued. Even when the grid is operating, many Cubans reportedly experience outages lasting more than 30 hours. Cuba’s ambassador to the United Nations described the blackouts as “collective punishment.” The article also places the power crisis within broader U.S.-Cuba tensions. The Trump administration has reportedly considered military options, although officials said briefings about possible operations do not mean a decision has been made. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has emphasized a preference for a diplomatic transition, but talks and pressure efforts have stalled.

Cuba experienced another nationwide power-grid collapse on Friday, leaving millions without electricity and only about 5% of Havana supplied with power. The Energy Ministry announced a “total disconnection of the electrical system,” while the state-run utility UNE attributed the outage to a transmission-line failure and unstable weather. The blackout was described as the seventh nationwide outage of 2026 and the 12th since late 2024, underscoring the island’s worsening energy crisis. Fuel shortages and deteriorating infrastructure are making it increasingly difficult to operate Cuba’s aging power plants and backup generators, which depend heavily on imported diesel. Blackouts lasting more than 30 hours have become common in Havana, while outages in some provinces have exceeded 60 hours. The power cuts have also disrupted water supplies, cooking gas, telecommunications, and transportation. The crisis is unfolding alongside severe economic hardship. An independent study cited in the article estimated that 66% of Cuba’s population now lives in poverty, up from 45% in mid-2025, with rising food prices identified as a major factor. Residents described a daily struggle involving shortages of food, water, cooking gas, and electricity. The article presents competing explanations for the crisis. Havana blames US sanctions and an oil embargo imposed or tightened by President Donald Trump’s administration in January, saying the restrictions have made it difficult to obtain fuel and replacement parts. Washington, meanwhile, attributes the outages to failures in Cuba’s state-run economic model. The article also notes that Trump has made what it calls scarcely veiled threats to take over the island, adding a geopolitical dimension to Cuba’s domestic emergency.

Fox News reports that Cuba suffered a nationwide power failure on Friday after the country’s electrical grid collapsed. The U.S. Embassy in Havana confirmed the blackout and said Cuban regime media reported that the cause was under investigation, with no timetable available for restoring electricity. The embassy warned U.S. citizens in Cuba or planning to visit that cellphone and internet service may also be disrupted and advised them to plan accordingly. The embassy described Cuba’s electrical system as increasingly unstable, noting that the island has experienced multiple nationwide outages in recent months. It said the system remains vulnerable, with scheduled power cuts occurring every day and unscheduled outages becoming more frequent and lasting longer. Cuba’s energy ministry also acknowledged the outage on social media. The article attributes Cuba’s deteriorating power situation to fuel shortages, what it calls a U.S.-imposed oil blockade, and aging or crumbling infrastructure. Even outside nationwide blackouts, millions of Cubans reportedly face rolling outages. The article says Friday’s blackout was the seventh national outage of the year and came only one month after the previous island-wide failure. Photographs accompanying the report show Havana streets and buildings darkened during the outage, including a bicycle taxi traveling through the city and people gathered in an unlit lobby. The report emphasizes the continuing vulnerability of Cuba’s electrical system and the effects of prolonged energy instability on residents, communications, and travelers.

Cuba experienced another nationwide power-grid collapse on Friday, leaving millions without electricity and marking at least the sixth islandwide blackout since January. The outage was announced by Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines, which said officials had begun protocols to restore service. Residents described worsening shortages of food and water, unreliable transportation, and a general sense of despair. Cuban authorities attributed the latest collapse to a failure in transmission lines in the western part of the country, reportedly extending as far as Matanzas province. The eastern portion of the island was subsequently disconnected, while unstable weather further strained the system. By dusk, electricity had been restored to only 5% of users in Havana, where there are approximately 862,000 customers. Officials were also creating small distribution “micro-islands” in Camagüey, Pinar del Río, and Granma and reactivating systems serving hospitals and other emergency facilities. The outages have become increasingly frequent over the past two years as Cuba struggles with a severe economic crisis and aging energy infrastructure. The article says the situation worsened after the United States imposed an energy blockade in January intended to pressure Cuba’s government to change its political system. The restrictions have limited access to fuel for thermoelectric plants and replacement parts for obsolete equipment. Only one fuel tanker, sent by Russia in March, has reportedly arrived since then. Recent nationwide blackouts occurred in August, after similar events in July and March. Even when the national grid is operating, outages can last more than 30 consecutive hours. The crisis has disrupted transportation, reduced working hours, caused flight cancellations, and harmed public health. It has also interfered with cooking, water supplies, internet access, and telephone service, leaving many Cubans waiting without any clear estimate for restoration.

Cuba’s national electrical grid suffered a total collapse on September 18, plunging the island into darkness and leaving millions without electricity. Authorities said the failure began around 2 p.m. local time after high-voltage transmission lines in central Cuba malfunctioned. Felix Estrada, an official with the National Electrical Union, said protocols had been activated to gradually restore power. By late evening, electricity had returned to a small number of Havana neighborhoods, particularly areas near hospitals, but much of the capital remained without power amid cloudy and rainy conditions. The blackout was at least the sixth partial or total grid collapse in Cuba since January. Residents, already accustomed to prolonged power cuts, described widespread exhaustion and frustration. Frank Lorenzo, a 23-year-old Havana resident, said he had endured a 24-hour outage before receiving electricity for only one hour, after which the national grid failed again. Cuba’s power system has been weakened for years by aging generating equipment, deteriorating infrastructure and fuel shortages. The article reports that a US-imposed oil blockade beginning in January has sharply worsened the crisis by restricting fuel supplies to the island. Cuba experienced three grid collapses in July, while rolling blackouts have subsequently lasted 30 hours or more in much of the country. United Nations human rights experts have condemned the oil blockade, calling it a violation of international law. They warned that the increasingly severe shortages and power cuts risk turning Cuba into a “silent Gaza.” The latest collapse underscores the depth of the island’s energy crisis and the severe impact of unreliable electricity on daily life, public services and residents’ ability to cope with heat and shortages.

Cuba experienced its seventh massive blackout of 2026 on Friday, leaving millions of people without electricity across the island, according to France 24. The outage affected a country of more than nine million residents that has been facing persistent power cuts because of the deteriorating condition of its aging thermoelectric power plants. The report says the electricity crisis has worsened significantly since January, when Washington imposed what France 24 describes as a de facto energy blockade on Cuba. The blackout is presented as part of a broader and continuing failure of Cuba’s electrical infrastructure rather than as an isolated incident. The country’s aging generating facilities have struggled to provide reliable power, resulting in repeated large-scale outages and constant interruptions to daily life. The article characterizes Friday’s event as the seventh major blackout of the year, highlighting the frequency and severity of the crisis. The report is brief and does not provide details about the precise cause of the latest grid collapse, the duration of the outage, or the number of people directly affected. It also does not describe any government response or restoration efforts. Instead, it focuses on the scale of the blackout, the chronic weakness of Cuba’s power system, and the reported deterioration of the situation following U.S. energy restrictions. The story was written by Shirli Sitbon, with video by Sitbon, and is categorized under the Americas section.