Cuba suffered another nationwide blackout on Tuesday after the collapse of its National Electric System (SEN), leaving the entire country without electricity. It was the third nationwide outage in two weeks as fuel shortages and a prolonged US oil embargo continue to strain the island’s power grid.

The latest disruption comes amid a deepening economic and financial crisis that has already led to widespread transport disruptions, cancelled surgeries and repeated power cuts affecting daily life across the country.

Fault At Power Plant Triggered Nationwide Outage

The state-owned Electric Union said the blackout occurred around midday after a generating unit in the eastern province of Holguin experienced a problem that caused “a sudden frequency change” across the national electricity system.

The Ministry of Energy and Mines and the Electric Union said restoration protocols had been activated, with authorities creating “micro-islands” of electricity that would later be connected to gradually restore the grid.

Priority was being given to critical facilities, including hospitals and food processing plants.

By the afternoon, electricity had returned to parts of Havana, with officials saying around 4 per cent of the capital had power. Authorities in Guantanamo and Cienfuegos also reported that electricity had been restored to hospitals, while Matanzas said power had returned to the city’s historic centre.

Fuel Shortages Continue To Weaken Power Grid

Cuba has faced severe fuel shortages since January after US President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on countries that sell or supply oil to the island.

Cuba produces only about 40 per cent of the fuel it requires, and officials have indicated there is no immediate solution to address import shortages.

The latest outage follows two nationwide blackouts last week, on Monday and Friday, which left more than 9 million people without electricity. The country also experienced two nationwide blackouts in March, along with several regional power failures.

Blackouts Disrupt Daily Life Across Cuba

Repeated electricity failures have severely affected transport, reduced working hours, caused flight cancellations and created significant public health challenges.

The outages have also disrupted cooking, water supply, internet connectivity and telephone services across the island.

Residents in Havana said frequent blackouts had become part of daily life. “These blackouts are normal in Cuba now. If something else happened, it would be strange,” said 69-year-old retail store clerk Roberto Liana.

Sayli Aguilera, a 25-year-old mother of two, said, “We’re improvising and doing what we can.”

Families Turn To Solar Power As Crisis Persists

Many households have installed solar backup systems, including photovoltaic panels and portable batteries, to cope with repeated power failures.

Electric motorcycles and tricycles powered by solar energy have also become a primary means of transport for many residents.

The latest nationwide blackout has once again highlighted the growing pressure on Cuba’s electricity network as the country continues to grapple with chronic fuel shortages and recurring failures in its power infrastructure.

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