Cuba races to restore electricity after nationwide power grid collapse

Tuesday 07 July 2026 - 17:30

By: Sahili Aya

Cuba races to restore electricity after nationwide power grid collapse

Cuban authorities are working to restore electricity across the island after a nationwide power grid failure plunged millions of residents into darkness, marking the third major blackout to strike the country this year.

The collapse of the national electricity network on Monday left almost 10 million people without power, disrupting daily life across the Caribbean nation and intensifying pressure on an already strained energy system.

Officials have not yet identified the exact cause of the outage. The latest blackout follows a series of widespread disruptions in 2026 that have highlighted the vulnerability of Cuba's ageing electricity infrastructure and the challenges facing the country's power sector.

State grid operator UNE reported on Tuesday that electricity service had been partially restored in central Cuba. According to the company, the network has been reconnected from the western port of Mariel through Sancti Spíritus Province, allowing some areas to resume power supply.

However, large sections of the island remain without electricity. The eastern and western ends of Cuba were still disconnected from the national grid as restoration efforts continued, leaving many communities waiting for service to return.

The prolonged outage has affected homes, businesses and essential services, with residents facing another period of uncertainty following repeated interruptions to electricity supplies earlier this year. Restoring stability to the grid remains a priority for authorities as engineers work to reconnect the remaining regions.

The latest incident underscores the ongoing challenges confronting Cuba's energy infrastructure, where recurring power failures have become an increasingly significant issue. As officials continue investigating the cause of the collapse, attention is also focused on improving the resilience of the national electricity system to reduce the risk of future large-scale outages.