Millions of Cubans are facing severe disruptions after the country's national electricity grid suffered a complete collapse late Sunday, leaving the entire island without power amidst sweltering summer heat.
The state-run utility company, Electric Union (UNE), confirmed the widespread failure on social media but did not immediately explain the exact cause or specify when power would be restored. Prior to the full grid breakdown, Havana had already been experiencing widespread localized outages caused by damaged transformers, circuit failures, and scheduled power cuts designed to manage severe shortages in generating capacity. Municipalities across the capital, including Guanabacoa, Habana del Este, La Lisa, and Marianao, recorded dozens of unresolved complaints.
In response to the total collapse, emergency crews are attempting to build small, isolated power micro-networks to supply critical infrastructure, including hospitals, water supply systems, and food facilities. Once these vital services are secured, authorities plan to gradually reconnect larger generating plants to rebuild the central grid.
Sunday's shutdown is part of a recurring pattern of infrastructure failures. In July, the island experienced three nationwide blackouts within a nine-day period, including one failure that left roughly 10 million residents without electricity. During those outages, power restoration efforts were repeatedly stalled because the nation lacked sufficient energy generation even after reconnecting key parts of the network.
Cuba's electrical infrastructure has steadily deteriorated due to a combination of fuel shortages, lack of replacement parts, and aging thermoelectric plants—some of which have been operating for over three decades with minimal maintenance. The Cuban government blames US trade restrictions and oil blockades for cutting off vital petroleum imports from key suppliers such as Venezuela and Mexico. Independent analysts also point to long-standing underinvestment and mismanagement within the state energy sector.
The prolonged power outages continue to disrupt daily life across Cuba, disabling public transport, clean water distribution, and telecommunications networks while leaving households struggling to keep food from spoiling during peak summer temperatures.