Cuba’s power grid collapses again, leaving millions without electricity for at least 6th time this year

Cuba’s power grid collapsed once again on Friday, leaving millions of people across the island without electricity for at least the sixth time since President Trump cut off fuel to the island in January.

The Ministry of Energy and Mines announced the islandwide power outage on its official X account and added that officials had begun “activating service-restoration protocols.”

“No one can stand these constant blackouts. There isn’t enough food, there’s no water, there’s no electricity — you have no idea,” Mercedes Rodriguez, a 60-year-old worker in Havana, told The Associated Press as she waited for public transportation to return home. “The country is in such a sad state, and there are no words for what we’re going through.”

According to Cuban authorities, a failure reportedly occurred in transmission lines in the western part of the country, causing the system to collapse in that area — as far as Matanzas province — and the eastern section of the island was subsequently disconnected.

The official newspaper Granma reported “unstable” weather conditions further aggravated the grid’s situation.

By dusk, power had been restored to 5% of users in Havana, which has a total of about 862,000 customers, according to official data. Small power-distribution “micro-islands” were being established in the provinces of Camagüey, Pinar del Río and Granma. Some systems serving hospitals and other emergency facilities were being reactivated.

Abilén Marrero, a homemaker, sat resignedly at the entrance to her building in central Havana on Friday.

“Maybe it’ll come back this afternoon or tomorrow—there’s no way to know. We just have to wait,” she said.

Power grid collapses have become increasingly common over the past two years because of the severe economic crisis gripping the island. They have worsened since January, after the United States imposed an energy blockade aimed at forcing a change in Cuba’s political system. Mr. Trump signed an executive order that would impose tariffs on countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba.

The restrictions prevent Cuba from importing the fuel needed to operate its thermoelectric power plants, as well as replacement parts required to maintain infrastructure that in many cases has become obsolete. Just one tanker of fuel has been delivered since, by a Russian tanker in March. 

The two most recent nationwide blackouts occurred in early August, following others in July and March, as well as several regional outages. 

Even when the national power grid is working, Cubans regularly endure outages lasting more than 30 consecutive hours. Ernesto Soberón Guzman, the Cuban ambassador to the United Nations, called the outages a “collective punishment” in a conversation with CBS News last month. 

The blackouts have had a significant impact on the population and, combined with the energy embargo, have led to transportation limitations, reduced work hours and flight cancellations, in addition to serious public health consequences.

The power outages also affect basic activities such as cooking, water supply and internet and telephone service.

The Trump administration has also quietly examined a range of options for possible military action against the island, CBS News previously reported. Officials stressed that military briefings, which discussed options including an Army-led air assault, were not an indication that President Trump or the Pentagon have decided to carry out an operation. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has emphasized the U.S. prefers a diplomatic option for a transition to a new government led by technocrats and willing to make economic reforms, but that process has stalled despite the pressure from the Trump administration. 

Mr. Trump has previously highlighted the U.S. overthrow and arrest of former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and the installation of a friendly successor as a potential blueprint for what he would like to achieve in Cuba.