Cuba Grid Collapse Triggers 7th Nationwide Blackout of 2026 as Only 5% of Havana Has Power
Updated
Updated · DW (English) · Sep 19
Cuba Grid Collapse Triggers 7th Nationwide Blackout of 2026 as Only 5% of Havana Has Power
3 articles · Updated · DW (English) · Sep 19
Summary
Millions of Cubans lost electricity Friday after a total grid disconnection, with authorities saying only 5% of Havana still had power.
UNE blamed failed transmission lines and unstable weather, on top of fuel shortages and deteriorating infrastructure that have made this the island's 7th nationwide outage this year and 12th since late 2024.
Blackouts now often last more than 30 hours in Havana and over 60 hours in some provinces, disrupting water supplies, cooking gas, telecommunications and transportation.
US sanctions tightened in January — including an oil embargo — have squeezed fuel and spare-parts imports for Cuba's aging plants, while Washington says the outages reflect failures of the state-run economic model.
The collapse hits amid a deepening economic crisis for Cuba's 9 million people, with an independent study this week estimating poverty has risen to 66% from 45% in mid-2025.