Cuba Grapples With Third Major Nationwide Power Outage This Year Amid Deepening Energy Crisis

A sweeping power outage plunged Cuba into darkness on Monday, marking the third major island-wide blackout this year as the nation’s escalating energy crisis continues to strain its vulnerable electrical infrastructure.

The extensive service interruption impacted an estimated 10 million residents before some areas began to see limited electricity restored. Early Monday morning, Cuba’s state-owned Electric Union confirmed a “total disconnection of the National Electric Power System” and stated that the causes were under investigation.

Mounting Energy Challenges

Cuba has contended with increasingly frequent power disruptions in recent years, a consequence of persistent fuel deficits and a deteriorating national power grid. The situation has been exacerbated by additional sanctions imposed by the United States in January, alongside threats of tariffs against countries supplying oil to the island.

During Monday’s widespread blackout, public transportation services largely ceased. Reports indicated that tens of thousands of surgical procedures nationwide were canceled due to the lack of electricity.

Authorities later announced that one generating unit had resumed operations approximately two hours after the system collapse. The Electric Union confirmed that “microsystems are already operational throughout the country, to ensure protection for vital services,” indicating partial restoration efforts focused on critical infrastructure.

Official Accusations Against US Policy

As officials worked to restore power, the nation’s energy minister, Vicente de la O Levy, attributed some of Cuba’s energy struggles to U.S. policies.

“Vital services continue to be protected, amidst this complex situation exacerbated by the energy blockade we face,” Levy stated.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel also condemned U.S. measures, characterizing the energy blockade as a “genocidal” action by Washington.

“While the U.S. tries to induce a social explosion through asphyxiation by blocking fuel access to #Cuba, the UNE mobilizes to reverse the SEN outage,” Díaz-Canel remarked, referring to Cuba’s National Electric Power System. “What the electrical workers are doing in the midst of a genocidal energy blockade is heroic.”

Persistent Fuel Shortages

The energy crisis in Cuba intensified earlier this year following significant U.S. pressure on Venezuela and its leadership, which disrupted Venezuelan oil exports—a critical fuel source for the Caribbean island nation.

Cuba produces only about 40% of its required fuel. In March, a Russian tanker delivered approximately 730,000 barrels of oil, but these supplies were reportedly depleted by the end of April. To manage the severe fuel scarcity, the Cuban government has implemented scheduled power outages, some of which have lasted more than 24 consecutive hours in certain regions.

This latest incident follows two other significant blackouts earlier in the year. In early March, western provinces experienced a major outage, and another separate event in mid-March plunged the entire island into darkness.