Millions in Cuba left in the dark by latest nationwide blackout
Cuba suffered another countrywide power outage on Friday, leaving millions without electricity in at least the sixth such blackout this year. Restoration of power began gradually and was still ongoing into Saturday.
Cuba's energy ministry said the country's electricity grid suffered a "total disconnection" on Friday, triggering a nationwide blackout that left millions without power. Grid operator UNE said electricity was restored to some priority areas by late evening, including zones near hospitals and water pumping stations in the capital, Havana.
UNE said the outage began just before 2pm local time on Friday, caused by a transmission fault combined with poor weather conditions in central Cuba. National load dispatch director Felix Estrada said protocols for a gradual restoration of power had been activated, with the process still under way on Saturday.
This marks at least the sixth partial or total blackout to hit Cuba this year. The country's ageing electrical infrastructure and chronic fuel shortages have been further strained by a US blockade on oil shipments. Because Cuba depends heavily on fuel imports, tightened US sanctions and the oil blockade in place since the start of the year have worsened existing shortages, leaving food and medicine scarcer, hospitals struggling to function, and schools and government offices forced to close at times.
Residents described the outages becoming increasingly frequent, with some households going without power for 24 hours or more before a brief restoration followed by another cut. People also reported shortages of water and cooking gas alongside the electricity failures. The repeated blackouts have triggered rare public protests, even though unauthorised demonstrations are illegal in Cuba and participants risk imprisonment.
Havana has blamed the crisis on sanctions imposed by the Trump administration, including a new round announced in August. Cuba's ally Venezuela had previously supplied it with around 35,000 barrels of oil a day, but that flow stopped after the US detained Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January. Washington, meanwhile, attributes Cuba's energy crisis to poor internal management and has described the country as posing a national security threat.
