Cuba Plunged into Second Nationwide Blackout

The state-run Union Electrica [UNE] announced on X that a “total collapse of the national electric system” occurred at 4:30 p.m. local time [20:30 GMT], leaving large parts of the island without electricity.

The company did not immediately explain the cause of the latest outage, which marks Cuba’s ninth nationwide blackout since late 2024 and the fourth recorded this year.

Cuba’s energy crisis has worsened amid fuel shortages and aging power plants, with repeated grid failures and continued electricity rationing following the latest nationwide blackout.

Pedro Luis Pedroso, acting director general for multilateral affairs and international law at Cuba’s Foreign Ministry, said Washington’s intensified blockade and “energy blockade” amount to “genocide” and a multidimensional aggression causing humanitarian harm and violating international law.

Arguing that Washington’s blockade harms the Cuban people and violates sovereignty, Pedroso said Cuba is not a threat to the US, while expressing hope the UN would uphold principles of non-interference and peaceful dispute resolution.