Cuba Grid Collapse Cuts Power to Millions, 6th Major Blackout of 2026
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Sep 19
Cuba Grid Collapse Cuts Power to Millions, 6th Major Blackout of 2026
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Sep 19
Summary
A transmission fault before 14:00 local time, compounded by poor weather in central Cuba, caused a total grid disconnection that left millions without electricity nationwide.
UNE said gradual restoration was still underway on Saturday after late-evening service returned to some priority areas in Havana, including zones near hospitals and water pumping stations.
The outage is at least Cuba's sixth partial or total blackout this year, with residents reporting repeated 24- to 28-hour cuts and worsening shortages of water, cooking gas, food and medicine.
Cuba says aging infrastructure and fuel shortages have been intensified by U.S. sanctions and an oil blockade, while Washington blames internal mismanagement and has threatened countries shipping oil to Havana.