Cuba struggled on Tuesday to restore power after its national grid collapsed the day before, leaving millions still without electricity across the Caribbean island nation. The blackout on Monday was the third to affect the country this year, leaving an already exhausted population of nearly 10 million people in the dark overnight.
Partial Restoration Underway
The country's grid operator, UNE, said early on Tuesday that it had reconnected central Cuba to the grid, from the western port of Mariel to Sancti Spiritus province. However, the eastern and western extremes of the island remained offline. About one-third of the capital Havana had seen power restored on Tuesday morning, though large swaths were still without electricity, and power was spotty even where it had been restored.
Cause of the Collapse Unclear
Authorities have yet to fully explain the cause of the Monday blackout. The grid collapse is the third nationwide outage since the start of 2026, according to the state electricity company. The recurring failures highlight the fragility of Cuba's energy infrastructure.
US Sanctions and Fuel Shortages
The latest grid collapse comes as the United States has vastly ratcheted up pressure on Cuba, cutting off the island's fuel supply and applying severe sanctions. The Trump administration aims to force a change in Cuba's communist-run government. Cuba and the United Nations have called the Trump administration measures illegal and a violation of the human rights of the island's residents.
According to UNE, the restoration process is ongoing, but full power recovery is expected to take several more days. The blackout has disrupted daily life, including water pumping, communications, and public transportation.
