Cuba’s Electrical System Suffers Another Total Grid Collapse
The state-run Electric Company merely says that “the causes are under investigation.”
HAVANA TIMES – Cuba’s deteriorating electrical system suffered a total grid collapse on Monday morning, further deepening Cubans’ growing frustration, while the state-run Electric Company (UNE) limited itself to saying that “the causes are under investigation.”
Even before Monday’s complete collapse, the third of 2026, the situation was already critical. Following a partial system failure over the weekend, 11 generating units remained offline due to breakdowns or scheduled maintenance, and those still operating were unable to supply even one-third of the country’s peak electricity demand, according to the UNE. Outages of 15 to 30 hours had already become normal throughout the country.
As Cubans have grown accustomed to living without electricity, relying on charcoal or firewood for cooking and using energy storage systems for basic survival needs, public discontent has increased at the same pace as the blackouts. Pot-banging protests and peaceful demonstrations have become everyday occurrences across many parts of the country, just five days before the fifth anniversary of the historic July 11, 2021, protests.
Without providing any update on repairs to the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant—the country’s largest generating unit, which went offline last Friday after suffering its 17th breakdown so far this year—UNE today announced the total collapse.
As public frustration spreads across Cuba’s streets, the regime continues to blame the crisis on pressure from the United States. However, the collapse of the electrical system has steadily worsened since 2021, and none of the solutions announced by the authorities since then has succeeded in reversing the decline.
During those years, while the thermoelectric plants accumulated breakdowns and deterioration—made worse by the use of Cuban crude oil with a high sulfur content and highly corrosive heavy metals—the regime continued to devote resources to building luxury hotels that today remain, for the most part, empty.
First published in Spanish Diario de Cuba and translated and posted in English by Havana Times.
I haven’t been a tourist in Cuba for many years as I’ve been married to a cubana living in Camaguey city for more than 9 years now. The situation in Cuba regarding their electricity generating plants is indeed directly related to the many extraterritorial US sanctions in place, as well as deeming Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism too – which of course is absolute nonsense. For more than 67 years the US government has tried to suffocate the Cuban people through an economic siege of both the US embargo and the Helms-Burton Act that has not allowed Cuba to prosper. I mean, let’s get things straight. The US government is indeed directly responsible for poor state of Cuba’s economy today. Just a bit of a correction too on what the author wrote about the building of those many new luxury hotels in Cuba that now stand empty – those firm contracts to proceed with the building of those hotels were cut approx. 10 years ago during the Obama opening. So it’s not a case of the Cuban government ignoring their people today to instead build empty new hotels – optimism was running high for everyone 10 years ago and many joint ventures were inked with foreign investors to ride that perceived wave of coming prosperity into the future. Of course since then, everything has gone into the toilet due to you know who. BUT! Do I think that change is now needed in Cuba to help finally call off the dogs? Of course! And it seems that the Cuban government are attempting to do their part to help make that happen with their recent 175 new decrees that will help to bring a free-market economy to Cuba which should be to the benefit of everyone. So far, the US government is continuing to ignore Cuba’s opening for economic change – change that will require the US government to stand-down their continued torture of the Cuban people to help support a recovery. The ball is definitely in the US court now – although it seems that the US government has no intention of relenting their genocidal policies. There’s no dialogue coming from US representatives, just silence. Although the Cuban government is willing to sit down to talk at any time. People are needlessly dying in Cuba now. And that too can be directly pinned on the US government and their continued siege mentality. My Cuban wife wants for nothing there in Cuba of course. But for the average Cuban with no ties to anyone on the outside to help them, the conditions in Cuba now for them are absolutely horrific. Just keeping it REAL. Terry
The Cuban government traded doctors and nurses work for oil and foreign currency
A new government is needed with all new people
The shortages of medical supplies clean water fuel and electricity make Cuba a place that i would not to live or work in or come as a tourist. A warm climate good farmland well educated people living worst than slaves in my opinion