Cuba's national electrical grid collapsed for the second time this week and the fourth time this year due to a U.S.-imposed oil blockade, crippling the island's already obsolete generation system.
Cuba's national electrical grid collapse d on Friday in the second nationwide outage this week and the fourth this year as a U.S.-imposed oil blockade has crippled the island's already obsolete generation system.
Posted: Jul 10, 2026 10:39 PM EDT | Last Updated: 33 minutes agoThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results. A man crosses the street in Havana on Friday, with unlit street lights seen above as Cuba grapples with another collapse of its national electric grid — the second in a week and the fourth this year.
Cuba's national electrical grid collapsed on Friday in the second nationwide outage this week and the fourth this year as a U.S.-imposed oil blockade has crippled the island's already obsolete generation system.
"We are already working on restoring the National Electric Power System, a complex situation amid all the difficulties we face on a daily basis," Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy wrote on social media. Before the collapse, large swaths of Cuba, including Santiago de Cuba, were still disconnected due to severe fuel shortages after a nationwide outage cut off power to the island's 10 million residents.
Authorities had reconnected most of the nation's grid from that outage by late Tuesday. Regla Caridad Gomez prepares food at her Havana home on Friday amid a nationwide electrical grid collpase in Cuba. Yailin Fis Garcia, 26, stood outside her darkened cafe and pizza joint in central Havana, her five-month-old baby on her shoulder.
She and her family had opened the La Criolla cafe just a few weeks ago, and Friday marked the second time the electrical grid had collapsed since they started. Still, she knew it could be worse. Her neighbourhood on the outskirts of the capital suffers such severe energy shortages that for the last month her home has only received electricity for an hour or two a day, she said.
U.S. President Donald Trump imposed the oil blockade on the Caribbean island after Washington deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Venezuela was Cuba's primary fuel supplier, and subsequent U.S. pressure led Mexico to halt oil shipments to the island. Havana resident Gabriel Rico says he's gotten used to keeping a flashlight handy, as the blackouts have grown more frequent.
"We are prepared for the blockade, which is what has us suffering like this, what has left us in shreds — in shreds. That's what it has done to us.
"The chronic power failures have fuelled rising social tensions, sparking scattered pot-banging protests in Havana after Monday's nationwide blackout.in the largest anti-government protest on the communist-run island in decades. Havana blames a decades-old U.S. trade embargo for its failing infrastructure, while Washington says the blackouts are due to the mismanagement of Cuba's state-run economy. , demanding democratic elections and the release of prisoners it says are being held on a political basis.
During a UN General Assembly debate on Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz laid the blame solely on Havana, stating, "Change your ways and turn the lights back on for your people.
" The vast majority of countries that spoke during the debate, however, called on Washington to end the blockade and reverse the sanctions that they say have crippled the island's economy. Cuba's minister of foreign affairs, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, criticized the U.S. measures in remarks to the UN, saying the fuel embargo and economic sanctions amounted to a "systematic violation of the human rights of an entire people in an act of collective punishment.
" After Friday's blackout, he posted on social media: "It has been another very difficult week under the impact of the energy blockade: two nationwide grid collapses, almost no fuel to power the generating plants, and several units out of service. "
Please follow us on Google to support usCuba Electrical Grid Collapse Oil Blockade Energy Crisis Nationwide Outage
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Electrical BMG SupervisorAt Tenaris , you will join a global network of professionals working together toward a common goal: shape the future of energy through advanced tubular products and services .
Read more »
PUC customers experience more outages despite smart grid rolloutThe typical PUC customer experienced just 1.03 electrical outages last year, but this year many are complaining of outages and flickering light bulbs they suspect are linked to the new electric arc furnaces. The smart grid's self-healing distribution automation was implemented on approximately 40 per cent of subtransmission and distribution feeders, leaving the remaining 60 per cent without self-healing capability.
Read more »
An islandwide blackout strikes Cuba for the second time this week as its grid crumblesAn islandwide blackout struck Cuba on Friday for the second time this week as the nation of nearly 10 million people grapples with a crumbling power grid and fuel shortages stemming from a U.S. energy blockade.
Read more »
An islandwide blackout strikes Cuba for the second time this week as its grid crumblesHAVANA (AP) — An islandwide blackout struck Cuba on Friday for the second time this week as the nation of nearly 10 million people grapples with a crumbling power grid and fuel shortages stemming from a U.S. energy blockade.
Read more »