Cuba Goes Again from Little Electricity to No Electricity
Nationwide blackout for the third time in July
The island has now suffered five total National Electric System collapses in 2026 and ten in less than two years
HAVANA TIMES – Cuba’s National Electric System (SEN) suffered another total collapse this Tuesday, just two days after authorities announced that power had been restored nationwide following last Friday’s blackout. It was the system’s third collapse in eight days and the fifth so far this year.
The Communist Party news outlet, Cubadebate, confirmed that the latest nationwide blackout, occurred at 11:05 a.m. (Cuba time). Later, it explained that the outage was triggered by the shutdown of Unit 1 at the Felton thermoelectric power plant, which caused a sharp fluctuation in the system’s frequency and set off the collapse of the SEN.
The reality for most Cubans is that the difference from the 20-to-70-hour power outages and a total breakdown is hardly noticeable. Yes, they lose that brief window of one or two hours, usually in the early morning, for domestic chores and/or charging any devises, but living without electricity has become an involuntary collective suffering. Not to mention that the country’s agricultural and industrial production has long since grounded to a halt. The government leaders use the decades long buzz word “sacrifice” as its recommendation to the population, while their homes remain lit up by their back up systems.
Users responded to the Energy ministry official report with irony, reflecting the exhaustion and anxiety caused by a crisis that shows no signs of letting up, reports 14ymedio.
“Only this country can put up with something like this,” one internet user complained. “Just leave (the grid) down, what difference does it make?” another quipped.
An hour later, the Cuban Electric Utility (UNE) announced on social media that it was preparing to establish isolated microgrids and that, “once conditions allow, power will begin to be restored to essential facilities.”
On Sunday, the UNE had assured the public that by 6:30 a.m. the National Electric System had been fully reconnected throughout the country and announced that the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, the country’s largest, had been brought back online. Nevertheless, thousands of Cubans continued reporting power outages even after that official announcement.
This latest blackout comes immediately after the two nationwide collapses that occurred last week on July 6th and 10th, bringing the total to five complete system failures so far this year and ten in less than two years.
Restoring the grid could take several days. Throughout Tuesday afternoon, authorities gradually began reestablishing service in different parts of the country through isolated microgrids. In Cienfuegos, electricity was restored to the provincial hospital, the children’s hospital, and the local headquarters of Etecsa, the state telecommunications company. In Camagüey, power returned to the Pediatric Hospital and a television broadcasting circuit, while in Guantanamo, electricity was restored to the circuits serving the Provincial Hospital and the Children’s Hospital, noted 14ymedio.
The Cuban government described the condition of the National Electric System as “critical” and “extremely tense.” The power grid has suffered from decades of underinvestment and repeated breakdowns at its aging thermoelectric plants, compounded by chronic fuel shortages. Cuban authorities blame the crisis on the US oil embargo and on recent Washington sanctions targeting the Cuban government’s principal economic sectors, which they say have prevented the country from importing fuel.