Cuba experiences sixth nationwide blackout this year
by Macarena Hermosilla · UPIAug. 3 (UPI) -- Cuba awoke Monday with only a fraction of its electrical grid operating in the capital after the National Electric System suffered its sixth nationwide blackout of the year the night before.
The latest collapse occurred at 10:43 p.m. EDT, just 21 hours after power had been restored following a previous partial blackout that had already severely affected five western provinces, according to reports on Facebook by the state-owned Electric Union.
As has become increasingly common, the nation confirmed the system's collapse in a brief statement without providing details about the immediate cause, although the grid had been operating with a critical deficit that exceeds 2,000 megawatts, Martí Noticias reported.
With this blackout, the country has recorded six total nationwide grid collapses in 2026 and 11 since late 2024.
While the Cuban government has consistently attributed the crisis to the U.S. economic embargo and oil restrictions imposed by the United States since January, international and independent analysts say lack of domestic investment and poor economic management are main drivers of the continuing issue.
The electrical grid is extremely fragile because of the advanced deterioration and aging of its thermoelectric power plants, many of which have been operating for more than 40 years. This was compounded by chronic maintenance deficiencies and a severe fuel shortage to power generators.
The power outages directly affect water supplies, hospitals, telecommunications and food preservation.
Frustration among the island's more than 9 million residents continues to grow after recent days in which simultaneous blackouts affected as much as 74% of the country.
Public frustration is expressed openly on social media, but also has resulted in street demonstrations. According to the Cuban Observatory of Conflicts, June recorded 107 in-person protests, nearly double the previous record, with 82 of them in Havana, CiberCuba reported.
According to Electric Union protocols, restoring the system is a complex process that begins with isolated startup sources, including solar power, hydroelectric plants and small distributed generation engines, to provide basic electricity to the country's main thermoelectric plants before gradually synchronizing them.