The Newshound

Cuba's power grid collapses for the seventh time this year leaving millions without electricity

From the Newshound archive · first published 19 September 2026 · last updated 20 September 2026.

Cuba's power grid suffered its sixth total collapse since January, leaving millions without electricity after high-voltage transmission lines failed in central Cuba.
Cuba's power grid suffered its sixth total collapse since January, leaving millions without electricity after high-voltage transmission lines failed in central Cuba.

Cuba's entire electrical grid suffered total disconnection on Friday afternoon, plunging all nine million residents into darkness in what is at least the seventh major blackout of 2026. The US Embassy in Havana warned American citizens to plan accordingly amid widespread mobile and internet outages. Havana resident Frank Lorenzo said: "Before it happened less frequently — once a month… just yesterday we were 24 hours without electricity." As evening fell, only 5% of Havana's roughly 862,000 customers had electricity restored.

Cuba's crumbling thermoelectric plants have reportedly been starved of fuel since Trump imposed an energy blockade in January, with only one Russian tanker delivery arriving since.

Schoolteacher Lidia Fernandez, 36, captured the desperation: 'No water, no gas for cooking, no electricity — I don't know how we haven't gone crazy.'

MoreYahoo News UKCuba once again plunges into complete darkness as blackout hits islandThe IndependentCuba’s power grid fails again leaving millions in total blackoutFox NewsCuba plunges into total blackout as electrical grid collapses again, US Embassy warnsThe Taiwan TimesNationwide Blackout Plunges Cuba Into Darkness After Primary Power Grid Collapses
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