Second consecutive nationwide outage hits Cuba as authorities work to restore electricity and protect essential services.
Cuba’s National Electric System collapsed for the second consecutive day on Sunday night, triggering another nationwide blackout as authorities worked to restore power and safeguard critical services across the island.
RELATED: Western Cuba Restores Power Grid After Partial Outage
The Electric Union (UNE) said the National Electric System suffered a total disconnection at 10:43 p.m. local time on Sunday. The outage came just one day after a major grid failure on Saturday, when the simultaneous loss of two 220-kilovolt transmission lines linking Matanzas with Cienfuegos and Santa Clara split the national electricity network.
22:43 || Ocurre una desconexión total del Sistema Electroenergético Nacional.
Continuaremos informando. pic.twitter.com/X1hPn8mpah
— Unión Eléctrica de Cuba (@OSDE_UNE) August 3, 2026
Text Reads: 22:43 || A total disconnection of the National Electric Power System occurs.
We will continue reporting.
The earlier disruption left the western provinces of Pinar del Río, Artemisa, Mayabeque, Havana and Matanzas without electricity, highlighting the mounting strain on Cuba’s power infrastructure.
Cuban authorities said contingency protocols have been activated to prioritize electricity supplies for essential services, including hospitals, healthcare facilities and water distribution systems. UNE personnel remain deployed as efforts continue to restore the grid.
Government – U.S. Sanctions
The successive failures come amid what Cuban authorities describe as a deepening energy crisis linked to the decades-long U.S. economic and commercial blockade. Havana says the pressure has intensified since U.S. President Donald Trump began his second term in January 2025.
According to Cuban officials, Washington has expanded measures aimed at restricting the island’s access to revenue and oil supplies while maintaining Cuba on the U.S. list of countries it designates as state sponsors of terrorism. The government argues these measures have limited investment and hindered maintenance of the country’s thermoelectric power plants.
Cuban authorities have also denounced what they describe as increasing political, economic and military pressure from the United States, including statements by Trump expressing a willingness to use force against Havana. The government characterizes U.S. policy as “genocide” and says it is intended to bring about the country’s collapse.
Restoration efforts remained underway late Sunday as authorities sought to stabilize the national grid while maintaining electricity supplies to critical public services.
From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.