Cuba’s National Power Grid Collapses for Third Time in Ten Days

Cuba's national power grid collapsed on July 14, 2026, leaving approximately 10 million people without electricity. The outage began around 11 a.m. local time when the entire system went offline, according to the state-run electricity company UNE.

Al Jazeera reported that this marked the third nationwide blackout in less than 10 days. Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines stated there had been a total disconnection of the electrical system. The failure occurred during a widespread blackout already affecting Havana.

In both of the previous week’s blackouts, power took more than 24 hours to return across the island. The repeated outages come amid fuel shortages linked to an oil blockade imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump in January 2025.

Venezuela had supplied Cuba with subsidized oil before the United States removed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from power. Mexico halted fuel shipments to Cuba under U.S. pressure. As of 2023, Cuba produced only about 40 percent of the oil it consumed, according to the International Energy Agency.

Cuban authorities have struggled for months to maintain the ageing grid, much of which dates to the 1960s and 1980s. ” Havana attributes the crisis to the U.S. fuel blockade. Washington holds Cuba’s government responsible for the deteriorating power system.

Speaking at a UN General Assembly debate on U.S. sanctions last week, U.S.