Cuba Largely Restores Power After Nationwide Grid Collapse

Overview

• The national grid suffered a full collapse that plunged the island into darkness on Sunday night, and the state utility Unión Eléctrica de Cuba (UNE) announced a broad reconnection at 12:35 Brasília time on Tuesday after nearly two days of outages.
• The outage is the sixth nationwide blackout in 2026 and the 11th large‑scale collapse since late 2024, driven by frequent failures at seven thermoelectric plants that are more than 40 years old and by shortages of imported fuel.
• Cuban officials blame a U.S. maritime blockade and expanded sanctions that have limited regular fuel deliveries and foreign investment, while U.S. authorities attribute the outages to long‑standing Cuban mismanagement and underinvestment.
• Residents report severe disruptions to daily life including food spoilage, water supply interruptions, loss of work and study time, and acute sleep and safety problems in hot weather, and poorer households that cannot buy generators face the heaviest burdens.
• Public‑health experts warn of growing mental‑health harm from prolonged, unpredictable outages, citing a 2025 survey that found very high rates of extreme depression, anxiety and stress among respondents and calling for treatment and social supports as part of the response.