Cuba's grid collapses again, 10 million without power
Cuba suffered another total blackout, its third nationwide grid collapse of 2026, after the state utility declared a full disconnection of the national system amid a fuel-starved generation crisis that has left roughly 10 million people in the dark.
- The state utility UNE announced a 'total disconnection' of the National Electroenergetic System; in its own daily report it put the power deficit above 2,000 megawatts, with five thermal units broken down and four more under maintenance.
- UNE said 106 distributed generation plants were sitting idle for lack of fuel and four fuel-supply vessels were out of service, and that the country's main plant, Antonio Guiteras, has been down for days.
- It is Cuba's third island-wide blackout of the year; officials said tens of thousands of surgeries were canceled, and a US oil blockade imposed in January has deepened the fuel shortages driving the collapse.
Why it mattersThis is the third time in 2026 the whole island has gone dark. Cuba's grid is not suffering isolated failures anymore; it is a system running on empty, and the blackout is becoming the normal state.
Unión Eléctrica de Cuba (UNE)… ↗ · Jul 7, 2026 · ✓ Checked