Cuba plunged into a third national blackout in less than ten days

Cuba's power grid collapsed on Tuesday for the third time in less than ten days, leaving some ten million people without electricity. The crisis comes amid a fuel shortage exacerbated by a US embargo.

The outage began around 11:00 AM local time, or 3:00 PM GMT. The state-owned electricity company, UNE, confirmed the complete shutdown of the system. "There has been a total disconnection of the electrical grid," the Cuban Ministry of Energy and Mines announced on social media.

This is the third nationwide power outage in less than ten days. During the two previous outages, which occurred last week, it took more than 24 hours to restore power across the island. These repeated blackouts have sparked spontaneous protests in Havana, where residents banged pots and pans while shouting "turn the lights back on!"

Cuba is experiencing its worst economic crisis in decades. In 2023, the country produced only 40% of the oil it consumed, according to the International Energy Agency, making it heavily dependent on imports. Since January, the United States has imposed an oil blockade after ousting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power. Until then, Venezuela had been Cuba's main supplier of subsidized oil. Under US pressure, Mexico has also suspended its fuel deliveries to the island.

Cuba's power grid, much of whose infrastructure dates back to the 1960s and 1980s, has struggled for months to cope with the consequences of these shortages. Havana authorities blame the crisis on the US embargo. Washington, for its part, holds the communist government responsible for the deterioration of the energy system.

During a debate at the United Nations General Assembly last week, US Ambassador Michael Waltz directly criticized Cuban leaders. “Change your behavior and turn the lights back on for your people,” he said. The Trump administration maintains that these measures are aimed at forcing Havana to hold democratic elections and release what it calls political prisoners.