Cuba's power grid collapses for second time in five days due to US embargo

Cuba's national power grid collapsed completely for the second time in five days. President Diaz-Canel stated that the US oil embargo created a fuel crisis, disrupting electricity service.

Scraper SystemJuly 12, 2026, 03:28 PM

Cuba's power grid collapses for second time in five days due to US embargo

Cuba's national power grid collapsed completely on Friday at 4:30 p.m. local time. This was the second total blackout in the last five days.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel described the situation as 'extremely complex' due to the US oil embargo. He stressed that the embargo, in place since January, has restricted fuel imports, making it difficult to operate the electricity system.

The National Electric Company (UNE) stated that the fuel shortage has made the grid more vulnerable to failures and limited the use of backup generators running on imported diesel, slowing the delivery of electricity to regions. Electricity is being restored gradually as conditions allow.

According to Cuban officials, Washington has allowed only one Russian oil tanker to transport about 100,000 tons of oil since January. This has deepened the fuel crisis needed for power plants and backup generators.

This blackout is the fourth total power outage in the country in the last six months, and the ninth since the end of 2024. It came right after the previous failure on Monday, which took about two days to resolve. In many regions, power cuts continue due to consumption restrictions imposed to preserve fuel stocks.

Although Cuba's theoretical electricity generation capacity is about 7,700 megawatts, actual production averages around 2,122 megawatts and can drop to as low as 1,224 megawatts at times. This large deficit increases the risk of a total blackout.

The country remains dependent on aging thermoelectric plants from the Soviet era, which frequently break down and face chronic fuel shortages. US restrictions on oil shipments have further aggravated this crisis in recent months.

Cuba's power grid collapses for second time in five days due to US embargo

Cuba's national power grid collapsed completely for the second time in five days. President Diaz-Canel stated that the US oil embargo created a fuel crisis, disrupting electricity service.