Cuba’s Electrical Grid Collapses Again, Leaving Entire Island in Blackout Saturday Morning, State-Run Media Reported

According to state-run media, Cuba was plunged into a second nationwide blackout early Saturday morning after the country’s electrical grid collapsed. The island’s grid operator, the Electric Union (UNE), reported at 6:15 AM that the national electro-energetic system had been entirely disconnected. CubaDebate, one of the country’s state-run outlets, stated, “The Electric Union is working tirelessly on its reestablishment.”

Two Major Blackouts in Less Than 24 Hours
This latest outage, the second in under 24 hours, comes just after Cuban authorities announced efforts to restore power following an earlier blackout on Friday afternoon, which had left more than 10 million people without electricity. The initial collapse occurred when one of the island’s largest power plants failed unexpectedly, prompting emergency measures.

On Friday, the communist-run government had already been grappling with electricity shortages, leading officials to send non-essential state workers home and cancel classes for children to conserve fuel for power generation. Though power was restored in some areas on Friday evening, the relief was short-lived as the grid collapsed again overnight.

Uncertainty Over the Cause
UNE has not yet provided specifics on the cause of the second collapse or an estimated timeline for restoring power to the entire island. Officials are working to reestablish service, but the situation remains precarious. The government has blamed the worsening energy crisis on aging infrastructure, fuel shortages, and increased demand, leading to blackouts lasting up to 20 hours in some regions.

Impact of Fuel Shortages and External Factors
Fuel delivery challenges have worsened the power grid issues, compounded by strong winds from Hurricane Milton last week. These winds disrupted the island’s ability to transfer fuel from offshore vessels to power plants.

Cuba’s fuel supply problems have intensified in recent months as key allies like Venezuela, Russia, and Mexico have significantly reduced fuel exports to the island. Venezuela, historically Cuba’s largest supplier of subsidized fuel, has halved its deliveries this year. The government has been forced to seek more expensive oil on the spot market to meet energy demands.

U.S. Sanctions and Denial of Involvement
Cuba’s government continues to cite the U.S. trade embargo and sanctions imposed during Donald Trump’s presidency as significant factors in its ongoing fuel shortages. These restrictions have made it difficult to acquire the necessary fuel and spare parts for the country’s aging oil-fired power plants.

However, the United States has denied involvement in the recent grid collapse. On Friday, U.S. officials reiterated that they had no role in the island’s current power crisis.

As Cuba faces compounding challenges to its energy system, the situation remains dire for millions of residents, with no clear resolution in sight.