Five of Cuba's 15 Provinces without Power as Grid Fails Again
Fuel shortages and aging thermal plants have made the grid more vulnerable, and Cuba has suffered five nationwide blackouts since the start of 2026.
- On Saturday, Havana and western Cuba plunged into darkness following a "partial collapse" of the electricity grid, leaving 5 of 15 provinces without power, Cuba's state-run electric company UNE said.
- Seven thermal power plants forming the grid's backbone have operated for more than 40 years in various states of disrepair, while the fuel blockade imposed by President Donald Trump in January worsened the national energy crisis.
- "We live practically like fireflies here," carpenter Julian Gonzalez told AFP, capturing the experience of 9.4 million Cubans facing blackouts lasting more than 30 hours in recent weeks.
- On Wednesday, Havana announced it would open major sectors including electricity generation and gas stations to private firms amid the nation's worst economic crisis in decades.
- Cubans have endured five nationwide blackouts since early 2026 amid escalating U.S. pressure, including sanctions against state-owned businesses and indictments of former officials by The United States.
35 Articles
35 Articles
In the night, seven of the 15 provinces, including Havana, remained powerless due to a failure in the electricity grid, leaving about 4.5 million inhabitants (ANSA) in the dark.
Some 4.5 million Cubans, about half of the country, were left without electricity this Saturday because of a breakdown of the National Electrical System (SEN) that affected seven provinces from the west to the central region of the island.
Radio France Internationale
Five of Cuba's 15 provinces without power as grid fails again
Five of 15 provinces had no power due to a "partial collapse" of the electricity grid at 6:07 pm (2207 GMT), Cuba's UNE said on X. Cuba is reeling from its worst economic crisis in decades -- one made worse by the fuel blockade imposed by US President Donald Trump in January as part of a pressure campaign aimed at ending six decades of communist rule. UNE says the fuel shortages have made the national grid more susceptible to outages and made th…
New blackout adds to recent interruptions this year due to deterioration of thermal generation infrastructure and lack of access to oil
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Right
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
