Cuba’s national electrical grid suffered another total collapse on Sunday, plunging the entire island of 10 million people into darkness for the seventh time this year as the country’s battered energy infrastructure buckled during restoration efforts.
The state-run utility Unión Eléctrica confirmed the “total disconnection” of the national electricity system, which occurred while technicians were working to restore power from a previous outage. An electric oscillation triggered the collapse, according to Lazaro Manuel Alonso, the news director of Cuba’s state-run television.
Cuba has now suffered more nationwide grid failures in 2026 than in any recent year, with the recurring blackouts leaving millions without electricity for hours or days at a time. The crisis has been driven by a combination of ageing thermoelectric plants – many more than 30 years old and receiving limited maintenance – severe fuel shortages, and dwindling oil imports.
The US government under President Donald Trump has tightened an oil blockade on Cuba, warning in January of tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to the island. Cuban officials have blamed the US sanctions for crippling the country’s already obsolete power generation system, while Washington says Havana’s mismanagement of its economy is the root cause.
Even when the national grid is operational, most Cubans endure prolonged rolling blackouts that can last more than 20 hours a day, disrupting daily life, businesses and essential services. The repeated grid failures have compounded a broader economic crisis on the Caribbean island, which has struggled with shortages of food, medicine and basic goods.
The latest collapse came during a period of summertime heat, adding to the misery of residents already dealing with water shortages and limited access to refrigeration. Cuba’s energy infrastructure has deteriorated sharply since 2020 as oil imports from Venezuela, Russia and Mexico – traditionally its main suppliers – have dwindled.
Sources: Al Jazeera, Reuters, Local 10
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