Cuba suffers second nationwide blackout in five days

Lead

Cuba was plunged into darkness on Friday when its national electricity grid collapsed for the second time in five days, leaving millions without power. The outage, which began at 4:30 pm local time, was announced by the state-owned utility Union Electrica de Cuba, which reported a "total collapse of the national electric system." The Cuban Energy Ministry said protocols were being activated to begin the recovery process, but no immediate explanation was given.

Coverage Comparison

Reporting on the event varied in emphasis. Al Jazeera described the blackout as part of a "deepening energy crisis," while Deutsche Welle noted this was Cuba's ninth nationwide power outage since 2024 and its fourth in 2026. ABC Australia focused on the broader humanitarian situation, describing severe shortages of energy, fuel, and medicine. The Hindu — World, in its coverage, highlighted the perspective of the Cuban ambassador to India, who framed the crisis as a result of US policy.

Key Claims

The blackout was the second total collapse of Cuba's grid in less than a week, following a similar failure on Monday. According to Al Jazeera, this brought the total number of island-wide outages to four since the start of the year, with two others occurring in March.

Deutsche Welle reported that authorities attributed Monday's outage to voltage instability and low levels of electricity output. Most of the country was reconnected to the grid by late Tuesday. The cause of Friday's outage remained unexplained at the time of reporting.

Cuba's energy infrastructure is ageing, with much of the system dating to the Cold War era, as noted by Al Jazeera. Deutsche Welle described the grid as "dilapidated." These factors have been compounded by a US fuel blockade imposed in January, which cut off Cuba's access to foreign oil. According to Al Jazeera, the United States under President Donald Trump effectively severed Cuba's supply of foreign oil, straining the already fragile grid.

The Hindu — World quoted Cuban ambassador to India Juan Carlos Marsan Aguilera, who said the oil blockade has created a humanitarian crisis, affecting all sectors of the economy, including healthcare, water supply, and food production. He described the blockade as "collective punishment" against the Cuban population. ABC Australia reported that Cuban authorities largely blame the United States for the severe shortages.

Deutsche Welle reported that only one oil tanker, a Russian vessel, has docked in Cuba since the start of the blockade, covering only about two weeks of the country's energy needs. Estimates indicate Cuba requires over 100,000 barrels of oil per day.

The blockade has also had severe health consequences. According to the Cuban ambassador, over 100,000 medical surgeries are pending, including 11,000 for children. He reported that infant mortality had risen from 4.0 to 9.9 per 1,000 live births in the last year. ABC Australia described hospitals as being on the verge of collapse, with doctors struggling to travel to work and pharmacy shelves standing mostly empty.

Perspectives

Cuban Government: The Cuban government, as conveyed by Ambassador Aguilera, attributes the crisis to the US oil blockade, which it calls "collective punishment." Cuban state media, as reported by ABC Australia, have described the US actions as "genocide."

United States Government: According to Deutsche Welle, Washington maintains that Cuba's problems are due to state mismanagement of the economy, not the embargo or blockade.