Cuba Reports Second Nationwide Blackout in a Week

Cuba experienced its second nationwide blackout in less than a week on Friday, with the state-owned utility announcing the outage began at 4:30 p.m. local time. The Union Electrica de Cuba said the grid failure left the island without power shortly before evening. No explanation was provided for the cause.

Cuba has now recorded four island-wide blackouts since the start of the year, including two in March. Outages have become more frequent as the island's electricity infrastructure ages. Much of the system dates to the period between 1960 and 1980.

Cuba produces about 40 percent of the oil it consumes, with the remainder imported from overseas. Only one Russian oil tanker has reached the island since March. The country has accelerated plans to increase renewable energy capacity, with solar technology imported from China. Renewables accounted for roughly 18 percent of Cuba's energy consumption as of 2022.

The high commissioner for human rights at the United Nations cited statistics showing infant mortality nearly doubled in recent months. The statement linked the increase to fuel restrictions and sanctions affecting medical supplies. "The fuel restrictions imposed since early 2026 and recent tightening of extraterritorial sanctions, taken together, are directly harming Cubans, especially the most vulnerable," the high commissioner said in a statement.

Officials in the United States have attributed the blackouts to mismanagement by the Cuban government. A U.S. official stated in March that no punitive measures had been taken against the Cuban regime. Cuba aims to generate nearly a quarter of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.