Cuba’s power grid collapses again in nationwide blackout

Cuba's national electricity grid collapsed late on Sunday, plunging the island of approximately 10 million people into darkness in what has become a recurring crisis for the Caribbean nation. The state-run Union Electrica de Cuba (UNE) announced a "total disconnection" of the national electricity system on social media platforms X and Facebook, without identifying the cause or providing a timeline for restoration.investing+1

The blackout came just 24 hours after the entire western half of the country lost power, according to a report by Agence France-Presse. As the lights went out across Havana, residents who had been sitting outside to escape the summer heat audibly groaned, the report noted.freemalaysiatoday

A Deepening Pattern

Sunday's failure is the latest in an accelerating series of total grid collapses. Cuba's power network collapsed three times within nine days in July, including two island-wide failures in the same week, with one outage leaving the entire population without electricity. The grid last suffered a full nationwide collapse on July 14.aljazeera+1

Before Sunday's total failure, Havana's electricity company had reported outages caused by damaged transformers, circuit failures, and planned cuts linked to insufficient generating capacity, with dozens of unresolved complaints across municipalities including Guanabacoa, Habana del Este, La Lisa, and Marianao, according to Reuters.aljazeera

Fuel Crisis at the Core

Cuba's electricity system has deteriorated amid shortages of fuel and replacement parts, compounded by repeated breakdowns at aging thermoelectric plants, some more than 30 years old with limited maintenance. The crisis has intensified since U.S. President Donald Trump imposed an oil blockade on the island following the January 3 removal of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.independent+1

Venezuela had long been Cuba's primary oil supplier, and imports from Mexico have also been halted amid increased pressure from Washington. The Cuban government blames the United States for restricting oil supplies and access to financing and equipment.aljazeera+1

Extended outages have disrupted transport, water supplies, communications, and medical services, leaving households struggling to preserve food, cook meals, or sleep during the summer heat. Authorities typically attempt to recover from total collapses by first creating small, isolated power networks to supply hospitals, water systems, and food facilities before gradually reconnecting larger generating plants.aljazeera