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Cuba experienced another major blackout on Friday when its entire electricity grid disconnected due to a transmission fault combined with bad weather, leaving millions without power. This is the sixth such incident this year, exacerbated by US sanctions that limit oil shipments vital for Cuba’s energy needs. While some essential services in Havana saw partial restoration by late evening, many residents remain frustrated and face shortages of basic necessities like water and gas.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-19,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On Friday, Cuba's power grid collapsed, leaving millions of people across the island without electricity. This was at least the sixth major blackout since January, following previous outages in March, July, and August 2023. The Ministry of Energy and Mines announced the outage on its official X account but did not provide a cause beyond initiating service-restoration protocols.
The frequent power failures are linked to the severe economic crisis exacerbated by the U.S.'s energy blockade, which restricts Cuba’s access to necessary fuel and replacement parts for its aging infrastructure. Even when electricity is available, rolling blackouts still occur daily, with some areas going without power for over 30 consecutive hours.
In Havana, only about 5% of users had power restored by late evening, primarily around hospitals and water pumping stations. Residents are struggling to cope with the ongoing shortages in food, water, and electricity, highlighting the dire situation on the island.
Written for “Cuba Power Grid Collapse Blackouts” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 9 other(s) covering the same event.
- Published
Millions in Cuba were left without power on Friday as the country was plunged into yet another major blackout.
asserted
country → publish → blackout
The country's entire electricity grid suffered "total disconnection" that triggered a nationwide outage, Cuba's energy ministry said.
asserted
ministry → suffer → outage
Power was restored to some priority areas by late evening, including those near hospitals and water pumping stations in the capital Havana, grid operator UNE said.
asserted
UNE → restore → capital
It is at least the sixth partial or total blackout to hit Cuba this year, where ageing electricity infrastructure and chronic fuel shortages have been placed under further strain by a US blockade on oil shipments to the communist-run nation.
asserted
infrastructure → hit → nation
UNE said the outage started just before 14:00 local time on Friday (18:00 GMT) due to a transmission fault coupled with poor weather conditions in central Cuba.
asserted
outage → say → Cuba
Protocols to begin the "gradual restoration" of power were activated, the operator's national load dispatch director Felix Estrada said, with the process ongoing on Saturday.
asserted
process → begin → Saturday
Cuba relies heavily on fuel imports, meaning tight US sanctions and an oil blockade since the start of the year have exacerbated existing shortages.
asserted
sanctions → rely → shortages
Food and medicine have also become more scarce, with hospitals struggling to function normally and schools and government offices having to close.
"
asserted
schools → become → ?
Lately, it's becoming a habit," Havana resident Frank Lorenzo told news agency Reuters on Friday.
asserted
Lorenzo → become → Friday
"Before it happened less frequently - once a month… just yesterday we were 24 hours without electricity, they turned it on for just an hour and it went down again."
"It's one thing after another: no water, no gas for cooking, no electricity," 36-year-old schoolteacher Lidia Fernandez told news agency AFP.
asserted
Fernandez → happen → AFP
"Honestly, I don't know how we haven't gone crazy."
asserted
we → know → ?
Francisco Rodriguez, 78, said his home had already gone without power for 28 hours on Friday and feared he would not have light "for several days".
asserted
he → say → days
The repeated blackouts have prompted rare protests in Cuba, where unauthorised demonstrations are illegal and those who defy the ban risk being jailed.
asserted
who → repeat → ban
Havana has blamed its fuel crisis on the Trump administration and denounced all of its sanctions - including a new round announced in August - which are part of a wider pressure campaign against the Caribbean island's leadership.
asserted
which → blame → leadership
Cuba's regional ally Venezuela was believed to have sent it around 35,000 barrels of oil a day - about half of its oil needs - until Venezuela's own supplies were cut off following the US seizure of its President Nicolás Maduro in January.
asserted
supplies → believe → January
US President Donald Trump has threatened tariffs on countries shipping oil to Havana, and a number of such shipments have been seized by the US.
asserted
number → threaten → US
Washington meanwhile attributes Cuba's energy crisis to poor internal management and has accused it of posing a "national security threat".
asserted
Washington → attribute → threat
Trump has openly discussed toppling its leadership, including threatening a "friendly takeover" in March this year.
asserted
Trump → discuss → March
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