HAVANA, Cuba. — Cuba began gradually restoring electricity Monday after the island suffered its sixth nationwide power grid collapse this year, leaving the country’s entire electrical system offline, according to state energy officials.
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The state-run Electric Union reported a “total disconnection” of Cuba’s National Energy System on Sunday night but did not identify the cause of the outage.
The blackout followed a partial power interruption Saturday that affected western Cuba, from Pinar del Río to Matanzas, including Havana, after weather-related disruptions damaged a 220-megawatt transmission line. Officials said that earlier outage had been quickly brought under control.
By early Monday, electricity had begun returning to some parts of the island. The Associated Press reported that several power distribution areas were back online and lights had been restored in portions of Havana.
The latest nationwide outage underscores Cuba’s ongoing energy crisis, which has been fueled by aging electrical infrastructure and fuel shortages. Cuban officials have also blamed the tightening of U.S. sanctions and restrictions on oil imports for worsening the country’s electricity shortages.
According to energy officials, Cuba experienced two nationwide blackouts in March and three more in July, in addition to several partial outages, including the disruption reported Aug. 1. Sunday’s collapse marked the sixth total failure of the National Energy System in 2026.
Even when the national grid is operating, many Cubans continue to endure prolonged rolling blackouts that can last more than 20 hours a day, disrupting daily life, businesses and essential services across the island.
Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
