Power restored to western Cuba after partial grid collapse leaves millions in dark

What happened

On Saturday evening at 6:07 pm local time, a fault on two 220 kV transmission lines (Matanzas–Santa Clara and Matanzas–Cienfuegos) triggered a partial collapse of Cuba's national grid, the state utility Unión Eléctrica (UNE) reported. The outage cut power to five of the island's 15 provinces, from Pinar del Río in the west to Cienfuegos and Matanzas in the centre, including the capital Havana. Roughly 4.5 million people, nearly half of Cuba's 9.4 million population, were left without electricity.

Restoration

UNE announced early Sunday that service had been restored to the western region, with reconnection completed minutes after 1:00 am local time. However, the utility cautioned that several thermal generation units remain damaged or under maintenance, leaving the grid fragile. The blackout was the latest in a series of failures that have become routine as Cuba's energy infrastructure deteriorates.

A deepening energy crisis

Cuba is grappling with its worst economic crisis in decades, with chronic shortages of food, medicine and fuel. The seven thermal power plants that form the backbone of the national grid have been operating for more than 40 years and are in various states of disrepair. Fuel shortages, exacerbated by a US fuel blockade imposed in January, have made the grid more susceptible to outages and rendered emergency diesel generators nearly unusable. Since the start of 2026, Cuba has experienced five nationwide blackouts, three of them in July within a span of 10 days. Since late 2024, there have been 10 total blackouts.

US blockade and political blame

The administration of President Donald Trump tightened sanctions as part of a pressure campaign to end communist rule, adding to the embargo in place since 1962. Tensions escalated after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in Caracas in early January and brought him to the US to face charges; Maduro had been a close ally of Cuba. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said on Saturday that Washington's aim is to punish the population.

“The real goal of the US government is to inflict the greatest possible punishment on the Cuban people to achieve their surrender.”

Washington counters that Havana's mismanagement is to blame. Despite the blockade, US fuel exports to Cuba have grown sharply: Census Bureau data show the value rising from $87,000 in January to nearly $6 million in April. Meanwhile, only one Russian tanker, carrying 100,000 tons of crude, was allowed to dock in March, and those reserves are now exhausted.

January 202687,000

April 20266,000,000

January 2026

87000 USD

April 2026

6000000 USD

Data from the article text

Life in the dark

In Havana, recent blackouts have stretched beyond 30 consecutive hours, and outages in other provinces can last days. Residents describe stifling nights with temperatures around 30°C.

“I stayed awake all night, I didn't sleep a wink because of the heat and the mosquitoes.”

The 66-year-old said she spent the night fanning her three grandchildren. Julián González, a 72-year-old carpenter, told AFP that Cubans live "like fireflies" in constant darkness. "You never know when you'll have power; it's our sad reality," he said, adding that stepping outside to catch the breeze was better than "sitting at home feeling bitter."