Cuba logs third nationwide blackout in six months as fuel shortage strains power grid

Cuba suffered its third nationwide electricity outage in six months on Monday, the state power utility said, describing a total disconnection from the national electricity generation system and saying it was investigating the cause. The blackout comes as the island’s grid continues to struggle to run aging power plants amid persistent fuel shortages, leaving households and critical services to operate on limited backup capacity.

The state electricity company, UNE, posted that there had been “total disconnection from the national electricity generation system,” and that it was investigating what triggered the failure. Caribbean and international outlets reported the incident as a nationwide loss of power, citing the utility’s statement and subsequent restoration efforts described by Cuban authorities.

The pace of disruptions has accelerated in recent months, with Cuban authorities relying on increasingly long cuts to conserve fuel. The Guardian and a separate AFP-based report said power outages have been measured in stretches of more than 24 hours in parts of Havana and more than 70 hours in some rural areas as officials attempt to manage generation shortfalls.

The Guardian reported that Cuba was already struggling to keep the lights on before a U.S. oil blockade took effect in January, which it said has depleted Cuba’s already limited fuel supply for power generation. The report added that, since January, Washington has allowed only one oil tanker, from Russia, to dock in Cuba, and said the broader sanctions environment targeting the Cuban state and foreign companies doing business with it has increased pressure on the country’s economy and essential imports.

International reporting has tied the latest outages to the fragility of a grid built largely around older Soviet-era plants. The Guardian described the national generation system as being in “shambles,” and said the blackouts have been paired with wider shortages, including for food, drinking water, and medicine, with the United Nations warning of a humanitarian emergency.

Earlier nationwide outages earlier this year highlighted the public safety stakes of the grid failures, according to NBC News, which reported in March that a blackout left hospitals dark and roads largely deserted during another islandwide power collapse. While the circumstances of individual incidents can vary, the pattern has put pressure on Cuba’s emergency response capacity and on daily life in communities across the island.

Cuba has been expanding solar energy as part of its response to electricity shortages, the Guardian reported, adding that solar power still represents about 10% of the energy mix. With Monday’s outage, the immediate priority for authorities is determining whether the disruption stems from fuel availability, grid conditions, or specific equipment failures, and restoring electricity to reduce the risk of cascading impacts in hospitals, water systems, and communications.

In Washington, officials have previously framed Cuba policy as a response to what they describe as the Cuban government’s conduct, including efforts aimed at restricting fuel and other resources. Cuban officials, meanwhile, have continued to attribute the depth and speed of blackouts to constrained energy inputs, while stating that they are working to stabilize supply and restart service after grid failures.