Cuba suffers second nationwide blackout in a week amid fuel shortages

Cuba experienced a second total collapse of its National Electric System (SEN) on 10 July 2026, just four days after a similar outage on 6 July. The event marked the ninth island‑wide blackout since late 2024 and the fourth in 2026. Officials traced the immediate trigger to a failure of a 220 kV transmission line between Santa Clara and Sancti Spíritus, which caused a cascade that shut down the grid within 35 minutes, leaving roughly 9.6 million people without power.

The blackout deepened an ongoing energy crisis driven by chronic fuel shortages linked to the United States’ oil blockade imposed in January 2026. Aging thermoelectric plants, many over 40 years old, suffer frequent breakdowns, and only about 935 MW of generation was available against a demand of 3,100 MW at the time of the collapse.

Restoration began after more than 24 hours of work. The Union Nacional de Electricidad (UNE) announced that the SEN was fully inter‑connected at 06:30 GMT on Sunday, with over 65 % of Havana households regaining service, though programmed cuts continued. Recovery efforts included synchronising units such as Energás Jaruco 6, the Antonio Guiteras plant, and several hydro‑ and solar facilities, while prioritising hospitals, water‑pumping stations and food‑processing centres.

Residents described severe hardship: “We live in almost unbearable stress,” said 63‑year‑old messenger Pedro Martínez, and many slept on rooftops to escape the heat. Water supplies were also disrupted because pumps require electricity. Government leaders, including President Miguel Díaz‑Canel and Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy, blamed the U.S. blockade for the “genocidal” fuel shortage and pledged continued work to restore the grid.