Cuba Suffers Third Nationwide Blackout of the Year
Quick Look
- Cuba experienced its third nationwide power outage of 2026 on Monday, with the state electricity company investigating the causes.
- The impoverished island faces severe fuel shortages, exacerbated by US sanctions, leading to increasingly long and frequent blackouts.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Cuba is experiencing its third nationwide power outage of the year, attributed to fuel shortages exacerbated by US sanctions. The island's aging electricity infrastructure is struggling to cope.
A woman carries a portable power charger during a blackout in Havana, Cuba, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Cuba on Monday suffered its third nationwide power outage since the start of the year, the state electricity company said. The impoverished island was already struggling to keep the lights on before US President Donald Trump in Jan imposed an oil blockade, which has depleted the already dwindling supply of fuel for Cuba's power plants. "There has been a total disconnection from the national electricity generation system," the UNE power utility wrote on X, adding that it was "investigating the causes." The blackout is the eighth on the island of 9.6 million people since late 2024. It comes as the state imposes increasingly draconian power cuts across the country - over 24 hours at a stretch in parts of Havana and over 70 hours in some rural areas - in an increasingly desperate attempt to conserve fuel. Power outages have been a feature of life for years on the communist-run island, where the electricity generation system, composed mainly of ageing Soviet-era plants, is in a shambles.
Open Questions
- What specific causes are being investigated for the blackout?
- Will the US sanctions be eased?
- What is the long-term plan for Cuba's energy infrastructure?