Cuba’s power grid collapses for fifth time this year, plunging 10 million into darkness
State-run electricity company confirms total system disconnection as fuel shortages and geopolitical pressure deepen the island’s energy crisis.
Cuba’s national power grid suffered a total collapse on Tuesday, marking the island’s fifth nationwide blackout of 2026 and the third in less than 10 days. The outage began at approximately 11:00 local time, leaving around 10 million people without electricity. The state-run electricity company, UNE, confirmed a “total disconnection of the electrical system,” while the Ministry of Energy and Mines reported the failure on social media.
The crisis is occurring against a backdrop of severe economic strain and fuel shortages exacerbated by an oil blockade imposed by the United States in January. This measure followed the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from power, ending a long-standing arrangement where Venezuela supplied subsidised oil to Havana. Under pressure from Washington, Mexico also halted fuel shipments to the island, compounding the shortage for a nation that, according to 2023 data from the International Energy Agency, produces only about 40 percent of the oil it consumes.
Cuban authorities have attributed the infrastructure failures to the US blockade, arguing that external pressure has pushed the ageing power system to the brink. Much of Cuba’s electricity infrastructure dates back to the 1960s and 1980s, making it inherently prone to collapse. The Trump administration maintains that the blockade measures are designed to pressure the communist government to hold democratic elections and release political prisoners.
In response to the ongoing energy crisis, US Ambassador to the United Nations, Michael Waltz, addressed the situation during a UN General Assembly debate on sanctions last week. Waltz stated that Cuba’s leaders are responsible for the electricity shortages and urged them to “turn the lights back on for your people,” adding, “Change your ways.”
The repeated outages have sparked growing public frustration. During previous blackouts earlier this month, residents in Havana staged protests, banging pots and pans and chanting “turn on the lights.” In both of the preceding incidents, it took more than 24 hours to restore power across the island, underscoring the severity of the technical and logistical challenges facing the state-run grid.
