Second nationwide power outage hits Cuba in less than one week

Cuba had its second nationwide power outage in less than a week on Saturday, officials said.

The Ministry of Energy and Mines announced on X that another “total disconnection of the National Electric System” had occurred, adding that restoration protocols were already being put in place.

According to the National Electric Union, the outage was triggered by the shutdown of Unit 6 at a power plant in Nuevitas, which set off a cascading failure across the rest of the country.

Earlier in the week, officials reported an island-wide blackout that impacted roughly 11 million people. Humanitarian groups began delivering aid by air on Friday, including solar panels, food, and medicine. Saturday’s outage marked the fourth major blackout in Cuba over the past four months.

As the country’s energy and economic crises deepen, Cuban officials have blamed the situation on a U.S. energy blockade, following warnings from President Donald Trump in January about tariffs on countries supplying oil to Cuba.

Protests have been reported across the island in recent days as frustration grows over prolonged power outages and deteriorating living conditions.

The country has long depended on foreign assistance and oil shipments from allies such as Mexico, Russia, and Venezuela. 

Shipments from Venezuela were halted after the U.S. arrested its then-president, Nicolás Maduro.