Cuba Faces Second Nationwide Blackout as Electrical Grid Collapses Again

Cuba was plunged into darkness early Saturday morning after its national electrical grid collapsed for the second time in 24 hours, according to state-run media. The grid operator, UNE, reported the “total disconnection of the national electro-energetic system” at 6:15 a.m., leaving the entire island without power.

The blackout came just hours after Cuban authorities announced they had begun restoring service following a previous collapse on Friday. While some progress was made in bringing electricity back to critical areas, including hospitals and parts of Havana, most of the country’s 10 million residents were still without power by Saturday afternoon.

Throughout Havana, traffic lights remained off, commerce was halted, and long lines formed at state-subsidised stores as Cubans waited to purchase essential items like bread. The country’s top electricity official, Lazaro Guerra, stated that efforts were underway to raise capacity and restart power plants, though he could not guarantee that full restoration would be achieved by the end of the day.

Confusion arose when state-run outlet CubaDebate reported a second grid collapse, while Guerra described it as a more localised issue, not directly confirming another total failure.

Cuba’s grid first failed around midday on Friday after one of its largest power plants shut down. The country has been grappling with worsening blackouts for weeks, which the government attributes to ageing infrastructure, fuel shortages, and increased demand. Strong winds from Hurricane Milton last week complicated efforts to deliver fuel from offshore to power plants.