Cuba plunges into island wide blackout power outage as US oul blockade dries up fuel supplies

Cuba plunges into island wide blackout power outage as US oul blockade dries up fuel supplies

HAVANA, Cuba — An islandwide blackout hit Cuba on Monday as the country’s fuel reserves dwindle and its electric grid continues to crumble.

The blackout in the country of nearly 10 million people was reported by the state-run Electric Union, which said on X that the cause is under investigation.

The Ministry of Energy and Mines wrote on X that it has activated protocols to restore electricity.

People walk along a street during a blackout in Havana, Cuba, on July 6, 2026. AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa
A man walking along the Malecón esplanade in Havana, Cuba during a nationwide blackout on July 6, 2026. AFP via Getty Images

Fuel has been running out across Cuba since January, when President Trump threatened tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to the island, deepening the island’s ongoing economic and financial crisis.

Public transportation has largely been halted, and officials have canceled tens of thousands of surgeries.

Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy said microsystems were already operating throughout Cuba a couple of hours after the outage: “Vital services continue to be protected, amidst this complex situation exacerbated by the energy blockade we face.”

Meanwhile, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel accused the US of trying to “incite social unrest by strangling Cuba’s fuel supply.”

“The actions of electrical workers in the midst of a genocidal energy blockade are heroic,” he wrote on X.

A Cuban driver attempting to navigate the streets of Havana during the power outage. AFP via Getty Images

The outage sparked concern across Havana, with 36-year-old Lina May wondering when the power would come back on so she could cook some rice.

“I just told my dad that we have to buy charcoal because otherwise we won’t eat and we’ll starve,” she said.

Richard Valdés, 40, said the outage is just the latest hit of many. “We’re without power again,” he said. “Now we have no water, no gas, nothing until they restore it.”

Cubans gathered around a light on a roadway during the blackout. AFP via Getty Images
A man walking down a pitch-black street in Havana AFP via Getty Images

Cuba produces only 40% of the fuel it needs, while the 730,000 barrels of oil delivered by a Russian tanker in late March ran out by the end of April.

The government also has been rationing power with intentional outages that can stretch to more than 24 consecutive hours.

A woman looks at a phone while sitting on the side of the road during a blackout on July 6, 2026. AFP via Getty Images
Vehicles drive down a dark street after Cuba’s national electric grid collapsed. REUTERS
Cubans sitting around a table lit by a small light source in Havana on Monday night. AFP via Getty Images
A Cuban woman using a solar panel to generate electricity during the nationwide power outage. AFP via Getty Images

A blackout in mid-May affected the island’s eastern provinces, while a blackout in mid-March struck the entire island.

Like many Cubans, Mario Pedroso, a 33-year-old Havana resident, was resigned about Monday’s total blackout.

“Oil hasn’t come in here for a while, and we have no way to solve the problem,” he said. “We have to resist, as we Cubans say. That’s all.”

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *