black transmission towers under green sky

Photo by Fré Sonneveld on Unsplash

Cuba's Power Grid Collapses, Leaving Millions Without Electricity

worldSep 22, 2026·366 words·3 min read

Cuba's entire electricity grid suffered what the country's energy ministry called a "total disconnection" on Friday afternoon, plunging the Caribbean island into a nationwide blackout that left millions of people without power. The state grid operator Union Electrica (UNE) said the failure began shortly before 2pm local time, attributing it to a transmission fault compounded by poor weather in central Cuba.

This kind of failure is now common. Cuba's electricity system is old and breaking down. The island must buy fuel from other countries, and it is getting harder to find. Reports do not agree on the number of blackouts this year. The BBC (a British news group) said this was at least the sixth in 2026. Fox News said it was the seventh. People also have planned power cuts every day.

Life is difficult without electricity. Food and medicine are hard to find. Hospitals cannot work normally, and schools and offices often close. One man in Havana said the blackouts were becoming a habit. A teacher said she had no water, no gas and no electricity. A 78-year-old man had no power for 28 hours. He thought it would last several more days. Some people have protested, which is rare in Cuba.

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