July 6, 2026.
This latest power outage comes amid intense pressure from the United States against Cuba, which is hindering the flow of oil to the Caribbean nation.
Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines reported that the appropriate protocols for restoring the National Electric Power System (SEN) have been activated, following the total blackout reported by the Electric Union (UNE) on Monday, July 6. Currently the grid is coming back step by step.
U.S. restrictions are hindering preventive maintenance at Cuba’s thermal power plants and preventing the purchase of essential components needed to modernize the electrical infrastructure.
The state-owned company announced via its account on the social media platform X that it is investigating the causes of the blackout, which comes at a time when power outages were already lasting more than 20 hours a day throughout Cuba as a result of the intensified U.S. blockade. This is the third time in the last six months that the power grid has collapsed.
The latest service interruption comes amid intense pressure from the United States against Cuba, which is hindering the flow of oil to the Caribbean nation following an executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump on January 29. That measure establishes threats of tariffs against nations that supply oil to Cuba.
This latest total blackout comes just days after a malfunction at the Victoria de Girón substation in Havana, the island’s capital, destabilized the national grid on the night of Friday, July 3. That incident, which occurred at 8:08 p.m., caused a significant oscillation in the system, leading to the abrupt shutdown of the Renté 3 and Felton 1 units.
Although technicians managed to reconnect the Felton plant with an initial output of 50 megawatts (MW) and incorporate Energías units into the baseload generation, the Havana Electric Company warned that the SEN continued to operate with low capacity availability and a high level of disruption throughout the country.
The prolonged restrictions imposed by the United States directly affect the country’s technical capacity, disrupting preventive maintenance schedules at thermoelectric plants and preventing the purchase of essential components needed to modernize the electrical system.
This situation reduces the ability to repair failures in aging infrastructure, while also having a negative impact on critical areas such as public health, the education system, and food production and distribution processes.
With the aim of mitigating the current crisis, Cuba is implementing various strategies, including the construction of photovoltaic parks. Similarly, the country is working to restore thermal generation capacity by rehabilitating its power generation units, while also increasing domestic production of oil and associated gas, among other measures.
Source: Radio Havana Cuba