Cuba Hit by Third Major Blackout as U.S.-Cuba Tensions Escalate

Cuba experienced its third widespread power outage in four months Tuesday, leaving millions without electricity as the island nation faces mounting energy and economic challenges. The blackout highlights Cuba's deteriorating infrastructure and growing tensions with President Trump, who has threatened tariffs on countries providing oil to Cuba.

HAVANA — Cuba’s electrical grid failed again Tuesday, marking the third major power outage to strike the Caribbean nation in just four months and highlighting the island’s worsening energy shortage and economic troubles amid escalating diplomatic friction with President Donald Trump.

Power restoration efforts were underway at medical facilities and for portions of Cuba’s 11 million citizens, though government officials cautioned that the deteriorating electrical infrastructure remains vulnerable to additional failures.

The island’s outdated power system has significantly deteriorated over recent years, resulting in routine daily outages and increasingly frequent major blackouts affecting large areas.

Cuban authorities attribute their energy difficulties to what they call a U.S. energy embargo, following Trump’s January announcement threatening tariffs against nations that sell or supply oil to Cuba.

Following Cuba’s latest plunge into darkness, Trump declared Monday that he expects to have the “honor of taking Cuba.”

“I mean, whether I free it, take it. I think I could do anything I want with it,” he said. Trump has characterized Cuba as a “very weakened nation.”

The Trump administration is insisting that Cuba free political detainees and pursue political and economic reforms as conditions for removing sanctions. Trump has also mentioned the potential for a “friendly takeover of Cuba.”

Essential oil deliveries from Venezuela ceased after the United States launched an attack on the South American nation in early January and detained its former president, Nicolás Maduro.

Although Cuba generates 40% of its own petroleum and produces its own electricity, this output falls short of meeting national demand as the electrical infrastructure continues deteriorating.

Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines announced on X that electrical service had been restored in the western municipality of Pinar del Rio and the southeastern Holguin province, with several “microsystems” beginning operations across different regions.

Government-controlled media outlets reported that by Monday evening, power had returned to 5% of Havana residents, affecting approximately 42,000 customers.

Residents of the capital city worry about food spoilage and struggle to navigate their homes without illumination.

“The power outages are driving me crazy,” said 48-year-old Dalba Obiedo. “Last night I fell down a 27-step staircase. Now I have to have surgery on my jaw. I fell because the lights went out.”

The Ministry of Energy and Mines reported earlier that the nation’s electrical system experienced a “complete disconnection,” stating that no equipment malfunctions occurred in the operating units when the grid collapsed.

Lázaro Guerra, the ministry’s electricity director, informed state media Monday that repair teams were working to restart multiple thermoelectric facilities, which are essential for power restoration.

Havana resident Tomás David Velázquez Felipe, 61, said the continuous outages make him believe that Cubans who are able should simply leave the island. “What little we have to eat spoils,” he said. “Our people are too old to keep suffering.”