Cuba suffered its seventh major nationwide blackout of the year after UNE reported a transmission-line failure worsened by unstable weather, marking the 12th outage since late 2024. Fuel shortages — which Havana links to a de facto US energy blockade imposed in January — have made it harder to run thermoelectric plants and diesel backups. Residents report prolonged cuts: more than 30 hours in Havana and over 60 in some provinces, disrupting water, mobile networks and daily life.
Cuba Hit by Seventh Major Nationwide Blackout This Year Amid Deepening Fuel Shortages
A bicycle taxi travels down a street in Havana during a widespread power outage (YAMIL LAGE)
Cuba experienced its seventh major nationwide blackout of the year on Friday, the energy ministry reported, as mounting fuel shortages worsen conditions across the US-blockaded island.
The ministry posted on X that "a total disconnection of the electrical system has occurred," without specifying a definitive cause. State-run utility UNE said the outage — the 12th since late 2024 — followed a failure "in the transmission lines" compounded by "unstable weather conditions."
The island of more than nine million people has long suffered regular power cuts due to the deteriorating condition of its aging thermoelectric plants. The crisis has intensified since January, when Havana said a de facto US energy blockade further restricted fuel imports used to run power stations and diesel backup generators.
Residents described worsening everyday hardships. "It’s one thing after another: no water, no gas for cooking, no electricity," schoolteacher Lidia Fernandez, 36, told AFP. "Honestly, I don’t know how we haven’t gone crazy," she added.
In recent weeks, outages in Havana have lasted more than 30 hours, while some more remote provinces have faced blackouts exceeding 60 hours.
Retiree Francisco Rodriguez, 78, said his home had been without power for 28 hours on Friday and that he feared the blackout could last several days. The cuts have disrupted water supplies, mobile-phone networks and other essential services, intensifying the strain on daily life across the island.
Havana blames a range of US-imposed punitive measures for the shortages, while Washington points to Cuba’s internal management problems as the primary cause of the crisis. Independent verification of fuel flows and plant operations remains limited, complicating efforts to identify immediate remedies.
What Comes Next: Authorities face pressure to restore power quickly while addressing fuel supply, infrastructure repairs and long-term energy resilience. For many Cubans, short-term relief depends on securing diesel for generators and repairing key transmission lines.
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