Cuba’s national power grid collapsed for the third time in less than 10 days, plunging the entire island into darkness, the state-run UNE electricity company announced Tuesday.
The outage occurred at around 11:05 a.m. (1505 GMT), marking the third total blackout since early July and the fifth since the start of 2026. Authorities have not yet disclosed the cause.
“I have no words,” said Maria Caridad Alvarez, a 62-year-old housewife. “When I woke up this morning, the power was back, and I cooked some beans. Now, I went out, and it’s off again. It feels like there is no solution.”
David Matias Rodriguez, an 82-year-old retiree, expressed concern that the few items in his refrigerator would spoil.
Cuba is grappling with its most severe economic crisis in decades, exacerbated by a US fuel blockade imposed by President Donald Trump in January as part of a campaign to end six decades of communist rule.
Both of last week’s blackouts lasted more than 24 hours, with the restoration process hampered by fuel shortages. While Havana endured outages of more than 30 consecutive hours, some outlying provinces waited several days for electricity to return.
In the hardest-hit areas, residents have vented their frustration by setting piles of trash ablaze or banging pots and pans in protest.
The UNE says fuel shortages have left the national grid increasingly vulnerable, making widespread outages more likely and limiting the operation of emergency generators.
Diplomatic tensions between Washington and Havana have escalated since the start of the year, particularly after US forces apprehended Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in early January and brought him to the US to face federal charges. Maduro has long been a key ally of Cuba.
Since March, only a single Russian tanker with 100,000 tons of crude has been permitted to enter Cuba, and those reserves have been depleted.
Alongside the oil blockade, the Trump administration has intensified sanctions against Cuban state-owned enterprises, prompting many foreign businesses to suspend operations. The United States has also indicted former president Raul Castro—brother of revolutionary leader Fidel Castro—over the downing of two civilian planes three decades ago.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said late last month that no progress had been made in months of bilateral talks.
AFP
