Havana — Cuba experienced an island-wide blackout Monday, plunging the nation of about 11 million into darkness as its energy and economic problems intensify and the power grid shows growing signs of failure. The Ministry of Energy and Mines posted on social media that the electrical system suffered a “complete disconnection” and that an investigation is under way. The ministry said there were no faults in the units that were operating at the time the grid collapsed and that crews were attempting to restart several thermoelectric plants, a critical step for restoring service. Officials cautioned that restarts must be gradual because weakened systems are more vulnerable to setbacks.
This is the third major nationwide outage in roughly four months. By Monday night state outlets reported power had been restored to about 5% of Havana residents — roughly 42,000 customers — and to a number of hospitals. Authorities said communications networks would be prioritized next, but warned that the small, localized circuits brought back so far could fail again.
Residents described the human cost. Tomás David Velázquez Felipe, 61, said repeated outages make him believe those who can should leave the island: food spoils quickly and older people are suffering. Yaimisel Sánchez Peña, 48, said food sent by her son abroad keeps going bad and that the outages are taking a toll on her 72-year-old mother. Mercedes Velázquez, 71, said she recently gave away part of a fresh soup to avoid wasting it. “Everything goes bad,” she said.
Experts and officials point to an aging, poorly maintained grid. William LeoGrande, a longtime Cuba analyst at American University, said the network is far beyond its expected useful life and that technicians have been working under extremely difficult conditions to keep it running. He warned that without major changes — including sharp consumption cuts and a rapid buildout of renewable generation — Cuba risks prolonged hardship, economic collapse, social unrest and increased migration. Accelerating solar deployment, LeoGrande noted, would require large equipment shipments and financing from overseas partners.
President Miguel Díaz-Canel has said the country has not received oil shipments in months and that Cuba is relying on solar power, natural gas and thermoelectric plants. He also said tens of thousands of surgeries have been postponed because of the power crisis. Cuba produces roughly 40% of its petroleum needs, but domestic output has not been enough to prevent outages. Thermoelectric facilities have also been using heavier oils with high sulfur content that accelerate corrosion and equipment breakdowns.
The government has blamed some difficulties on what it describes as an American energy blockade. Under the Trump administration, U.S. policy tightened: officials warned of penalties for countries supplying oil to Cuba and pressed for political concessions from Havana. Former President Trump made strong statements about Cuba and the U.S. approach to the island’s leadership; U.S. officials have also reportedly sought Díaz-Canel’s removal in behind-the-scenes discussions, a pressure element that Cuban authorities have acknowledged in public.
Supply disruptions have been compounded by interruptions to fuel shipments from Venezuela, which had been a key source of oil for Cuba. Those Venezuelan deliveries have been interrupted by political and logistical turmoil, removing an important supply line as the grid deteriorates. Cuba also lacks the hard currency needed to import spare parts, buy fuel on global markets or modernize plants — conditions experts say create a “perfect storm” for a systemic collapse.
In response to the crisis, Cuban officials signaled a willingness to expand economic engagement and attract investment. Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, deputy prime minister for foreign trade and investment, said Cuba is open to trade with U.S. companies despite lingering embargo constraints. He outlined measures aimed at boosting the economy: allowing Cubans living abroad to be partners or owners of private enterprises and to take part in large-scale infrastructure projects; permitting partnerships between expatriates and domestic private and state firms; granting land under usufruct for certain initiatives; and enabling Cubans abroad to open foreign-currency accounts in Cuban banks to facilitate transactions.
Authorities say repairing and modernizing the grid while securing reliable fuel and equipment imports will take time and money. Meanwhile, residents continue to cope with frequent outages, spoiled food and disrupted medical services as the nation grapples with an increasingly precarious energy situation.