Cuba experienced another nationwide power outage last Monday amid a worsening national energy crisis, leading the government to announce strict energy conservation measures.
Foreign news agencies reported that Cuban officials revealed a nationwide blackout occurred again on Monday, 16 Mar 2026 GMT+7, affecting over 11 million people amid a deepening economic and energy crisis alongside a continuously deteriorating electrical grid.
Cuba's Ministry of Energy and Mines stated on X that the country's electrical system experienced a “complete disconnection” and is currently investigating the cause, noting that the power plants operating at the time of the outage showed no faults.
This event marks the third major power outage in Cuba within the past four months.
Cuba's aging electrical grid has severely deteriorated over recent years, resulting in increasing daily and island-wide blackouts. However, the Cuban government blames these outages on U.S. sanctions and energy blockades following the arrest of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
Previously, U.S. President Donald Trump warned in January that tariffs would be imposed on any country selling or shipping oil to Cuba, while simultaneously offering Cuba a deal to release political prisoners and begin economic and political liberalization in exchange for lifting sanctions.
William Legrand, a professor at American University who has followed Cuba's situation for many years, said the country's energy grid has not been properly maintained, and its infrastructure is “long past its normal service life.”
“The technicians managing the electrical system are like magicians, managing to keep it running despite its severely poor condition,” Legrand said.
Legrand noted that if Cuba drastically reduces energy consumption and expands renewable energy use, it might sustain itself temporarily without relying on oil imports. "But that would mean ongoing hardship for ordinary people, and ultimately, the economy could completely collapse, leading to social unrest and potentially large-scale migration."
To cope with the energy crisis, the Cuban government has declared numerous emergency measures, including reducing school hours, postponing major cultural and sports events, and cutting public transportation services. Many state hospitals have had to reduce services. Fuel shortages and broken garbage trucks have caused massive waste accumulation across residential areas.
At nearly every street corner, conversations revolve around questions of when the power will go out and how long the blackout will last. At night in Havana, stars are often clearly visible because much of the city is plunged into near-total darkness.
Doug Madory, an expert on internet disruptions, told CNN, “Recent measurements show that internet usage in Cuba is only about one-third of normal levels for this time of day.”