July 14, 2026, 10:51 p.mJuly 14, 2026, 10:51 p.m
Cuban women walk through Havana at night. (Archive image, July 10, 2026)Image: keystone
For the third time in about a week, there has been a nationwide power outage in Cuba. “There has been a complete separation of the electricity system,” the Ministry of Energy announced on the X platform. The protocols for restoring power supply have been activated.
The ministry later said a malfunction in the block of a thermal power plant triggered the disconnection of the national power grid. The power supply is being gradually restored in several parts of the country. There were nationwide blackouts on the Caribbean island on Friday and Monday last week.
Dilapidated infrastructure and US oil embargo
Cuba is suffering from a severe energy crisis due to its dilapidated infrastructure and an oil embargo imposed by the USA for months. Many of the thermal power plants, which are mostly decades old, are prone to failure and there is often a lack of fuel to generate electricity. The government blames, among other things, the US trade embargo and further sanctions from Washington.
US President Donald Trump last threatened countries that export oil to Cuba with punitive tariffs in January, after which fuel deliveries from abroad almost came to a standstill. The island can only cover part of its oil needs. Washington is using various pressure measures to force the island to open up economically and politically according to its ideas. It was only on Monday that the USA put the Ministry of Tourism, which is important for the Cuban economy, on a sanctions list. (sda/dpa)