Cuba’s national power grid collapsed on a Friday, causing an islandwide blackout that left millions of people without electricity. The Ministry of Energy and Mines reported the outage on the social media platform X, stating that officials had begun protocols to restore service. According to Cuban authorities, a failure occurred in transmission lines in the western part of the country, which then led to the disconnection of the eastern section.
The outage is the sixth nationwide blackout reported since January, when the Trump administration implemented an energy blockade. Cuban officials and the state-run newspaper Granma noted that the grid's instability was further aggravated by weather conditions. By dusk on the day of the collapse, power had been restored to approximately 5% of customers in Havana, where there are about 862,000 total users. Small "micro-islands" of power distribution were being set up in Camagüey, Pinar del Río, and Granma provinces to serve emergency facilities and hospitals.
The energy blockade, established by an executive order from President Trump, imposes tariffs on countries that provide or sell oil to Cuba. According to reports, these restrictions prevent the island from importing the fuel and replacement parts necessary to maintain its thermoelectric plants and infrastructure. Only one delivery of fuel, provided by a Russian tanker in March, has reached the island since the policy began. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the U.S. prefers a diplomatic option for a transition to a new government led by technocrats, though officials also confirmed that the administration has reviewed potential military options.
The scale of the crisis is reflected in the shutdown of essential services during these periods. Beyond the 862,000 customers in Havana, millions across the island’s provinces face restricted work hours, transportation limitations, and flight cancellations. The lack of reliable power has direct consequences for public health, as hospitals must rely on emergency systems that the government is struggling to reactivate. The restrictions on replacement parts mean that the physical infrastructure continues to deteriorate.
The energy policy serves as a tool for the U.S. to seek a change in Cuba's political system. President Trump has referenced the U.S. overthrow and arrest of former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro as a potential blueprint for what he would like to achieve in Cuba. While the U.S. continues to press for economic reforms and a transition to a new government, the diplomatic process remains stalled. It is not currently reported when full power will be restored to the island or if the U.S. will adjust its tariff policies. At the time of reporting, Cuban officials continued to work on restoring the western transmission lines and stabilizing the national grid.