Cuba’s Power Grid Goes Out For Third Time This Month

Cuba’s entire electrical system shut down Saturday, plunging roughly 10 million people into darkness for the third time in March.

The state-run Cuban Electric Union attributed the failure to an unexpected breakdown at the Nuevitas thermoelectric plant in Camagüey province, the Associated Press reported. The malfunction triggered a chain reaction that knocked offline every generator connected to the grid. Officials activated isolated backup circuits to keep hospitals, water systems and other critical facilities running.

The collapse hit at 6:32 p.m. local time, according to Reuters. By Sunday morning, authorities had set up small closed-loop power networks across all provinces and restarted two gas-fired plants. Monday’s nationwide outage took more than 29 hours to fully resolve. Even before the grid failures, most Cubans endured 16 or more hours without electricity each day. (RELATED: Cubans Ransack Communist Party Headquarters, Ignite Fire)

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has said no foreign oil has reached the island in three months, according to the AP. The country generates only about 40% of its own fuel. Years of deterioration have left the grid increasingly fragile, with fuel shortages driving daily outages of up to 12 hours.

Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines reports a power grid outage, marking the second nationwide blackout in a week. https://t.co/u5Lrp8NiKH

— The Associated Press (@AP) March 21, 2026

President Donald Trump warned in January that any nation selling oil to Cuba would face tariffs, the AP reported. His administration has demanded the release of political prisoners and steps toward political and economic reform as conditions for easing sanctions. Trump has also floated the idea of a “friendly takeover of Cuba” and told reporters he expected to have “the honor of taking Cuba.”

The oil squeeze intensified after U.S. forces removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January, Reuters reported. For years, Venezuela sold oil to Cuba at below-market rates. Mexico also stopped shipments. Only two small tankers have reached the island all year.

Frustration boiled over days before Monday’s blackout when protesters in the central city of Morón stormed a local Communist Party headquarters, Fox News reported. Authorities arrested five people. The U.S. Embassy in Havana confirmed Monday’s grid disconnection.

Cuba’s state electricity company had anticipated a 1,704-megawatt power shortfall ahead of Saturday’s peak demand period, CNN reported. The government has cut school hours, suspended sporting and cultural events and restricted fuel sales to manage the crisis.