Cuba’s power grid collapses and plunges eastern provinces into a major blackout

Families about how their lives have changed when they can't make plans and invest in Cuba, uh, releasing prisoners just recently, as well as the previous round, uh, allowing the FBI in this country to make sure that we are. Conducting *** transparent investigation. There are *** number of things that I think indicate that the moment is here for us to have *** real negotiation between our two countries. The United States is not foreign to our values, so we're here to do oversight. The most sanctioned part of Earth. It used to being over by Iran, but now there is the SWIFT monetary system that this country has now been taken off of, so they cannot do global trade. They've also have been restricted from receiving fuel that we want for humanitarian reasons, *** free flow of oil, fuel, food, energy. Uh, in our own hemisphere, I think there's *** 2nd tanker due, and I think we're gonna see more countries in Latin America, um, come through with shipments of humanitarian aid and, and oil, but we just have to be clear that these are temporary, important, critical solutions for right now to address the humanitarian crisis which is man-made. It's *** man-made humanitarian crisis, but we need *** longer permanent solution for the Cuban people and for the American people. Worried about serious.

Updated: 2:16 PM EDT May 14, 2026

Editorial Standards ⓘ

Updated: 2:16 PM EDT May 14, 2026

Editorial Standards ⓘ

Cuba's national energy grid suffered a major failure early Thursday that severed power to the island's eastern provinces, authorities said, as residents in the capital, Havana, faced ongoing blackouts.Cuba's aging power grid has eroded in recent years as it faces a prolonged economic crisis, recently made worse by a U.S. energy blockade of the island, where daily life can be an ordeal for many of the country's 10 million people.The state-run Electric Union said the collapse had stripped power from all eastern provinces from Guantánamo to Ciego de Ávila, and that crews were working to restore power, but it did not give an estimate for how long it would take.The previous day, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel had described the energy situation as "tense" after supplies of oil delivered by a Russian vessel in late March ran out. Cuba produces barely 40% of the fuel it needs to power its economy.Russia announced plans to send a second fuel ship to Cuba in early April. According to Russian news reports, the oil tanker left the Russian Baltic port of Vysotsk in January, but has been stuck in the same place in the Atlantic Ocean for the last several weeks.Power outages in Havana, where authorities have been rationing power, stretched to 24 consecutive hours on Thursday.On Wednesday evening, Associated Press journalists saw residents in numerous neighborhoods banging pots and pans and setting fire to trash cans to protest the blackouts. Hours later, Energy and Mines Minister Vicente de la O Levy appeared on Cuban television to describe the energy situation as "critical."Cuba's power grid is crumbling, but the government also has blamed the outages on U.S. sanctions after President Donald Trump in January warned of tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba. The Trump administration has demanded that Cuba release political prisoners and move toward political and economic liberalization in return for a lifting of sanctions.The blackouts have led to reduced work hours and food spoilage as refrigerators stop working. In some cases, hospitals have canceled surgeries.

Cuba's aging power grid has eroded in recent years as it faces a prolonged economic crisis, recently made worse by a U.S. energy blockade of the island, where daily life can be an ordeal for many of the country's 10 million people.

The state-run Electric Union said the collapse had stripped power from all eastern provinces from Guantánamo to Ciego de Ávila, and that crews were working to restore power, but it did not give an estimate for how long it would take.

The previous day, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel had described the energy situation as "tense" after supplies of oil delivered by a Russian vessel in late March ran out. Cuba produces barely 40% of the fuel it needs to power its economy.

Russia announced plans to send a second fuel ship to Cuba in early April. According to Russian news reports, the oil tanker left the Russian Baltic port of Vysotsk in January, but has been stuck in the same place in the Atlantic Ocean for the last several weeks.

Power outages in Havana, where authorities have been rationing power, stretched to 24 consecutive hours on Thursday.

On Wednesday evening, Associated Press journalists saw residents in numerous neighborhoods banging pots and pans and setting fire to trash cans to protest the blackouts. Hours later, Energy and Mines Minister Vicente de la O Levy appeared on Cuban television to describe the energy situation as "critical."

Cuba's power grid is crumbling, but the government also has blamed the outages on U.S. sanctions after President Donald Trump in January warned of tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba. The Trump administration has demanded that Cuba release political prisoners and move toward political and economic liberalization in return for a lifting of sanctions.

The blackouts have led to reduced work hours and food spoilage as refrigerators stop working. In some cases, hospitals have canceled surgeries.

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Cuba’s power grid collapses and plunges eastern provinces into a major blackout

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