Cuba plunged into 3rd nationwide blackout in 2 weeks as fuel runs low
Fuel shortages and aging plants left nearly 10 million people without electricity as officials worked to restore critical services.
- On Tuesday, Cuba's national power grid collapsed for the third time in 10 days, leaving approximately 10 million people without electricity as the Electric Union reported a total disconnection shortly after 11 a.m.
- Aging infrastructure and U.S. fuel sanctions imposed by President Donald Trump exacerbated the technical failure, as Cuba produces only 40% of its fuel needs. Officials cited a 'sudden frequency change' at a generating unit in Holguín as the immediate trigger.
- To mitigate the collapse, the Ministry of Energy and Mines activated 'micro-islands' to restore power to hospitals and food processing plants. Public transportation halted and officials canceled tens of thousands of surgeries while water and internet services were disrupted.
- Visiting U.S. Congress members described the embargo as turning the island into a 'silent Gaza,' while residents like Maria Caridad Alvarez, a 62-year-old housewife, told AFP, 'I have no words' regarding the recurring failures.
- Five nationwide blackouts since the start of 2026 highlight systemic fragility of the aging grid; Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez reported 'no progress' in bilateral discussions as families increasingly rely on private solar backup systems.
114 Articles
114 Articles
Cuba has finally regained electricity after a long wait, but residents are bracing for another long blackout - three in the past two weeks. Cuba blames the prolonged crisis on America's blockade of oil supplies to the island. Washington says the blockade will end when Cuba turns to democracy.
Cuba's power grid has collapsed for the third time this month, leaving nearly 10 million people in the dark, while US sanctions and inadequate infrastructure are exacerbating the island's economic crisis and anxieties about the future.
The island has been in a deep energy crisis since mid-2024, marked by the obsolescence of thermoelectrics.
Millions of Cubans were left without electricity this Tuesday after a new collapse of the National Electrical System (SEN). The new total disconnection constitutes the third in just eight days, the fifth in 2026, and the tenth in less than two years. Likewise, it occurs just two days after the SEN was again interconnected throughout the country; a reconnection that closed the process of recovery of the national blackout last Friday. Hours before…
Cuba completely restored its electricity grid on Wednesday, after a third total blackout in less than ten days on the island, affected by fuel shortages due to the U.S. oil blockade. The country, of 9.6 million inhabitants, had again run out of electricity on Tuesday shortly before noon due to a breakdown that caused a "brusque" imbalance between electricity generation and demand. But the service began to re-establish itself the same day late at…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 41% of the sources lean Left
![[your]NEWS](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgroundnews.b-cdn.net%2Finterests%2Ffb6dc495f74049f513563c33352175eaa0ecd509.jpg%3Fwidth%3D60&w=128&q=75)
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
