Cuba's national electrical grid suffered a complete collapse around noon on Monday, leaving an estimated 10 million people without access to electricity. The incident was officially confirmed by the state grid operator Unión Eléctrica (UNE) and the country's Ministry of Energy, which have launched an urgent investigation into the causes of the accident. This is the third complete power outage in the last six months (and the eighth since the end of 2024), which deepens the unprecedented humanitarian and economic crisis on the Caribbean island.
Causes of the crisis: Blockade and depreciated capacities
The Cuban government, headed by President Miguel Díaz-Canel, points to the main culprit for the situation the strict energy blockade imposed by the administration of US President Donald Trump. In January, Washington imposed heavy sanctions and threatened tariffs on any country that supplies oil to the island. As a result, traditional supplies from key allies such as Venezuela and Mexico were cut off, leaving Cuba almost completely without diesel and fuel oil.
The situation is further complicated by the following factors:
- Amortized network: Most of the country's thermal power plants are from the Soviet era, have exceeded their service life many times over and are operating without the necessary spare parts.
- Lack of investment: The country does not have a stable currency for modernization or for alternatives, and green energy (mainly solar panels) covers only about 10% of needs.
- Complete depletion of reserves: Cuba produces only 40% of its fuel needs. The last major shipment of Russian crude oil was in the spring, and those stocks are now completely depleted.
Living under stress: Effects on the population
Before the final outage on Monday, nearly two-thirds of Cuba was already without electricity. In rural areas, planned outages regularly exceed 40 hours, and in the capital, Havana, people are without power for up to 15-20 hours a day at the height of the hot Caribbean summer.
The collapse has paralyzed public transport and forced the state to shut down educational institutions and non-strategic industries. According to UN data over 100,000 elective surgeries in hospitals have been postponed due to a lack of electricity and medical supplies. The lack of refrigeration is destroying the citizens' scarce food, and the outages are also stopping the pumping stations for drinking water.
The crisis has triggered a wave of spontaneous protests, with residents of various neighborhoods in Havana taking to the streets banging pots and pans to demand the restoration of service. Analysts warn that the total economic collapse could unleash a mass migration wave to the United States.
Light at the end of the tunnel or diplomatic maneuvers?
Despite extremely strained relations and accusations raised by Washington against Cuban leaders, intense and discreet diplomatic negotiations are currently underway between Havana and the United States in search of a way out. Cuban authorities have expressed readiness for economic concessions, including the release of political prisoners and the leasing of gas stations to the private sector, as long as US energy restrictions are eased.
Currently, the operator UNE reports that it has activated emergency protocols and has managed to partially power vital sites, but full grid stabilization will take days.