19-09-2026
Millions of people in Cuba lost electricity on Friday after the country’s entire power grid suffered a “total disconnection,” producing another nationwide blackout. The outage began shortly before 14:00 local time and was attributed by the state grid operator, Unión Eléctrica (UNE), to a transmission fault combined with poor weather in central Cuba. By late Friday, electricity had been restored to some priority areas, including locations near hospitals and water-pumping stations in Havana, while a gradual restoration process continued into Saturday.
The blackout was at least the sixth partial or total grid failure in Cuba this year. The country’s aging electricity infrastructure has been severely strained by chronic fuel shortages, while US sanctions and an oil blockade have made it harder to import the fuel needed to operate power plants. Shortages of food and medicine have also worsened, disrupting hospitals, schools and government offices.
Residents described increasingly frequent and prolonged power cuts, alongside shortages of water and cooking gas. The repeated outages have generated unusual public protests, despite Cuba’s prohibition on unauthorised demonstrations and the risk of imprisonment for those who take part.
Cuban authorities blame the energy crisis on the Trump administration’s sanctions and pressure campaign. Venezuela, previously a major supplier that reportedly provided about half of Cuba’s oil needs, is no longer able to maintain those deliveries after its own supplies were disrupted following the US seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. President Donald Trump has threatened tariffs against countries sending oil to Cuba, and some shipments have been seized. Washington instead attributes the crisis to poor internal management and has described Cuba as a national security threat, while Trump has discussed efforts to remove the country’s leadership.
Entities: Cuba, Havana, Unión Eléctrica (UNE), Cuba’s Ministry of Energy, Felix Estrada • Tone: urgent • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
19-09-2026
Cuba’s national power grid collapsed again on Friday, leaving millions of people without electricity in the island’s sixth nationwide outage of the year. The Ministry of Energy and Mines said a failure in transmission lines in western Cuba triggered the collapse, reportedly affecting areas as far as Matanzas province, while the eastern part of the country was disconnected. Cuban newspaper Granma said unstable weather worsened the situation.
Authorities began restoration efforts, establishing small power-distribution “micro-islands” in Camagüey, Pinar del Río and Granma provinces and reactivating systems serving hospitals and other emergency facilities. By dusk, electricity had returned to only 5% of Havana’s approximately 862,000 customers. Residents described uncertainty, frustration and worsening living conditions as they waited for transportation and the restoration of basic services.
The article links the repeated grid failures to Cuba’s severe economic crisis, aging infrastructure, fuel shortages and difficulty obtaining replacement parts. It says the situation has deteriorated since January, when the Trump administration imposed restrictions intended to prevent countries from supplying oil to Cuba and pressure the government to change its political system. Only one fuel tanker, from Russia, had reportedly reached Cuba since the restrictions began.
Recent nationwide outages occurred in August, July and March, while regional blackouts have also become common. Even when the grid is operating, outages can last more than 30 hours, disrupting cooking, water supplies, transportation, work, communications, flights and public health. Cuba’s ambassador to the United Nations called the blackouts “collective punishment.”
The article also reports that the Trump administration has examined possible military options toward Cuba, although officials said no operation had been approved. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the United States prefers a diplomatic transition to a reform-minded government, but that effort has stalled.
Entities: Cuba, Havana, Cuban Ministry of Energy and Mines, Cuban national power grid, President Donald Trump • Tone: urgent • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
19-09-2026
Cuba experienced another nationwide power-grid collapse on Friday, leaving millions without electricity and only about 5% of Havana supplied with power. The Energy Ministry announced a “total disconnection of the electrical system,” while the state-run utility UNE attributed the outage to a transmission-line failure and unstable weather. The blackout was described as the seventh nationwide outage of 2026 and the 12th since late 2024, underscoring the island’s worsening energy crisis.
Fuel shortages and deteriorating infrastructure are making it increasingly difficult to operate Cuba’s aging power plants and backup generators, which depend heavily on imported diesel. Blackouts lasting more than 30 hours have become common in Havana, while outages in some provinces have exceeded 60 hours. The power cuts have also disrupted water supplies, cooking gas, telecommunications, and transportation.
The crisis is unfolding alongside severe economic hardship. An independent study cited in the article estimated that 66% of Cuba’s population now lives in poverty, up from 45% in mid-2025, with rising food prices identified as a major factor. Residents described a daily struggle involving shortages of food, water, cooking gas, and electricity.
The article presents competing explanations for the crisis. Havana blames US sanctions and an oil embargo imposed or tightened by President Donald Trump’s administration in January, saying the restrictions have made it difficult to obtain fuel and replacement parts. Washington, meanwhile, attributes the outages to failures in Cuba’s state-run economic model. The article also notes that Trump has made what it calls scarcely veiled threats to take over the island, adding a geopolitical dimension to Cuba’s domestic emergency.
Entities: Cuba, Havana, Cuban power grid, Cuba’s Energy Ministry, Unión Eléctrica (UNE) • Tone: urgent • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
19-09-2026
Fox News reports that Cuba suffered a nationwide power failure on Friday after the country’s electrical grid collapsed. The U.S. Embassy in Havana confirmed the blackout and said Cuban regime media reported that the cause was under investigation, with no timetable available for restoring electricity. The embassy warned U.S. citizens in Cuba or planning to visit that cellphone and internet service may also be disrupted and advised them to plan accordingly.
The embassy described Cuba’s electrical system as increasingly unstable, noting that the island has experienced multiple nationwide outages in recent months. It said the system remains vulnerable, with scheduled power cuts occurring every day and unscheduled outages becoming more frequent and lasting longer. Cuba’s energy ministry also acknowledged the outage on social media.
The article attributes Cuba’s deteriorating power situation to fuel shortages, what it calls a U.S.-imposed oil blockade, and aging or crumbling infrastructure. Even outside nationwide blackouts, millions of Cubans reportedly face rolling outages. The article says Friday’s blackout was the seventh national outage of the year and came only one month after the previous island-wide failure.
Photographs accompanying the report show Havana streets and buildings darkened during the outage, including a bicycle taxi traveling through the city and people gathered in an unlit lobby. The report emphasizes the continuing vulnerability of Cuba’s electrical system and the effects of prolonged energy instability on residents, communications, and travelers.
Entities: Cuba, Havana, U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuban electrical grid, Cuba’s energy ministry • Tone: urgent • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
19-09-2026
Cuba experienced its seventh massive blackout of 2026 on Friday, leaving millions of people without electricity across the island, according to France 24. The outage affected a country of more than nine million residents that has been facing persistent power cuts because of the deteriorating condition of its aging thermoelectric power plants. The report says the electricity crisis has worsened significantly since January, when Washington imposed what France 24 describes as a de facto energy blockade on Cuba.
The blackout is presented as part of a broader and continuing failure of Cuba’s electrical infrastructure rather than as an isolated incident. The country’s aging generating facilities have struggled to provide reliable power, resulting in repeated large-scale outages and constant interruptions to daily life. The article characterizes Friday’s event as the seventh major blackout of the year, highlighting the frequency and severity of the crisis.
The report is brief and does not provide details about the precise cause of the latest grid collapse, the duration of the outage, or the number of people directly affected. It also does not describe any government response or restoration efforts. Instead, it focuses on the scale of the blackout, the chronic weakness of Cuba’s power system, and the reported deterioration of the situation following U.S. energy restrictions. The story was written by Shirli Sitbon, with video by Sitbon, and is categorized under the Americas section.
Entities: Cuba, United States / Washington, Shirli Sitbon, Ricardo Arduengo, Cuban electrical grid • Tone: urgent • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
19-09-2026
Cuba experienced another nationwide power-grid collapse on Friday, leaving millions without electricity and marking at least the sixth islandwide blackout since January. The outage was announced by Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines, which said officials had begun protocols to restore service. Residents described worsening shortages of food and water, unreliable transportation, and a general sense of despair.
Cuban authorities attributed the latest collapse to a failure in transmission lines in the western part of the country, reportedly extending as far as Matanzas province. The eastern portion of the island was subsequently disconnected, while unstable weather further strained the system. By dusk, electricity had been restored to only 5% of users in Havana, where there are approximately 862,000 customers. Officials were also creating small distribution “micro-islands” in Camagüey, Pinar del Río, and Granma and reactivating systems serving hospitals and other emergency facilities.
The outages have become increasingly frequent over the past two years as Cuba struggles with a severe economic crisis and aging energy infrastructure. The article says the situation worsened after the United States imposed an energy blockade in January intended to pressure Cuba’s government to change its political system. The restrictions have limited access to fuel for thermoelectric plants and replacement parts for obsolete equipment. Only one fuel tanker, sent by Russia in March, has reportedly arrived since then.
Recent nationwide blackouts occurred in August, after similar events in July and March. Even when the national grid is operating, outages can last more than 30 consecutive hours. The crisis has disrupted transportation, reduced working hours, caused flight cancellations, and harmed public health. It has also interfered with cooking, water supplies, internet access, and telephone service, leaving many Cubans waiting without any clear estimate for restoration.
Entities: Cuba, Havana, Cuban Ministry of Energy and Mines, Donald Trump, United States • Tone: urgent • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
19-09-2026
Cuba’s national electrical grid suffered a total collapse on September 18, plunging the island into darkness and leaving millions without electricity. Authorities said the failure began around 2 p.m. local time after high-voltage transmission lines in central Cuba malfunctioned. Felix Estrada, an official with the National Electrical Union, said protocols had been activated to gradually restore power. By late evening, electricity had returned to a small number of Havana neighborhoods, particularly areas near hospitals, but much of the capital remained without power amid cloudy and rainy conditions.
The blackout was at least the sixth partial or total grid collapse in Cuba since January. Residents, already accustomed to prolonged power cuts, described widespread exhaustion and frustration. Frank Lorenzo, a 23-year-old Havana resident, said he had endured a 24-hour outage before receiving electricity for only one hour, after which the national grid failed again.
Cuba’s power system has been weakened for years by aging generating equipment, deteriorating infrastructure and fuel shortages. The article reports that a US-imposed oil blockade beginning in January has sharply worsened the crisis by restricting fuel supplies to the island. Cuba experienced three grid collapses in July, while rolling blackouts have subsequently lasted 30 hours or more in much of the country.
United Nations human rights experts have condemned the oil blockade, calling it a violation of international law. They warned that the increasingly severe shortages and power cuts risk turning Cuba into a “silent Gaza.” The latest collapse underscores the depth of the island’s energy crisis and the severe impact of unreliable electricity on daily life, public services and residents’ ability to cope with heat and shortages.
Entities: Cuba, Havana, Cuba's National Electrical Union (UNE), Felix Estrada, Frank Lorenzo • Tone: urgent • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
