{"id":95688,"date":"2026-07-14T19:32:46","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T23:32:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/cuba-hit-by-third-nationwide-blackout-in-two-weeks-as-fuel-crisis-deepens\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T19:32:46","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T23:32:46","slug":"cuba-hit-by-third-nationwide-blackout-in-two-weeks-as-fuel-crisis-deepens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/cuba-hit-by-third-nationwide-blackout-in-two-weeks-as-fuel-crisis-deepens\/","title":{"rendered":"Cuba Hit by Third Nationwide Blackout in Two Weeks as Fuel Crisis Deepens"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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HAVANA \u2014 Cuba’s national power grid collapsed again on Tuesday, plunging the entire country into darkness for the third time in just two weeks, according to government officials. The repeated failures come as a U.S. oil embargo continues to strain the island’s already fragile energy infrastructure.<\/p>

The fuel shortage gripping Cuba has been worsening since January, when U.S. President Donald Trump threatened tariffs against any nation that supplies oil to the island. That move deepened an already severe economic and financial crisis. Public transit has largely ground to a halt, and officials have been forced to cancel tens of thousands of scheduled surgeries.<\/p>

Cuba currently produces only 40% of the fuel it requires to function, and no clear solution for restoring fuel imports appears to be on the horizon.<\/p>

The state-run Electric Union said the blackout was triggered around midday by a malfunction in a generating unit located in the eastern province of Holgu\u00edn, which caused what it described as “a sudden frequency change” that brought down the entire National Electric System, known as the SEN.<\/p>

Both the Ministry of Energy and Mines and the Electric Union said “protocols for its restoration have been activated,” with so-called “micro-islands” of power being established and gradually linked together to restore electricity to critical locations, including hospitals and food processing facilities.<\/p>

By afternoon, some neighborhoods in the capital city of Havana had their power restored, which The Associated Press confirmed on the ground. Authorities noted that roughly 4% of the city had received electricity by that point. The provinces of Guant\u00e1namo and Cienfuegos reported beginning to restore power to their hospitals, while Matanzas confirmed electricity had returned to its historic city center.<\/p>

The previous week saw two separate nationwide blackouts \u2014 one on Monday and another on Friday \u2014 that left more than 9 million Cubans without electricity. Those incidents followed two additional blackouts in March, along with several regional outages across the country.<\/p>

The cascading power failures are taking a heavy toll on everyday life. Beyond the energy embargo itself, the outages have contributed to transportation breakdowns, shortened work hours, and flight cancellations, while also creating serious public health concerns. Basic needs such as cooking meals, accessing clean water, and using internet or phone service have all been disrupted.<\/p>

For many Havana residents, the latest blackout came as no surprise. “These blackouts are normal in Cuba now. If something else happened, it would be strange,” said Roberto Liana, 69, a retail store clerk.<\/p>

Others are finding ways to cope with the new reality. Sayli Aguilera, 25, a mother of two, described how her family is getting by: “We’re improvising and doing what we can.”<\/p>

Across the country, many households have turned to solar backup solutions \u2014 including panels and portable battery systems \u2014 to keep the lights on. Electric motorcycles and tricycles powered by solar energy have also become the primary way many Cubans get around.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cuba’s entire power grid went dark again on Tuesday \u2014 the third complete blackout in two weeks \u2014 as dwindling fuel supplies push the island’s electrical system to the breaking point. A U.S. oil embargo has left Cuba struggling to import the fuel it needs, halting public transportation and forcing the cancellation of tens of thousands of surgeries. Residents say the outages have become so routine that they are simply part of daily life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":95687,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[832],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-95688","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784071962310.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-oTm","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":25744,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/canada-develops-relief-plan-for-cuba-amid-worsening-energy-crisis\/","url_meta":{"origin":95688,"position":0},"title":"Canada Develops Relief Plan for Cuba Amid Worsening Energy Crisis","author":"Admin","date":"February 23, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Canadian officials announced Monday they are developing assistance for Cuba as the island nation struggles with widespread power outages and fuel shortages. The crisis has intensified due to halted oil shipments from key suppliers Venezuela and Mexico following U.S. sanctions and pressure.","rel":"","context":"In "World News"","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771871612488.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771871612488.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771871612488.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771871612488.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":66292,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/cubas-energy-crisis-deepens-as-fuel-supplies-completely-depleted\/","url_meta":{"origin":95688,"position":1},"title":"Cuba’s Energy Crisis Deepens as Fuel Supplies Completely Depleted","author":"Admin","date":"May 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Cuba's energy minister announced the island nation has completely exhausted its diesel and fuel oil reserves amid ongoing U.S. sanctions. The capital city of Havana is experiencing severe rolling blackouts lasting up to 22 hours daily, creating additional hardship for residents already facing shortages of food and medicine.","rel":"","context":"In "World News"","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778721744958.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":22276,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/cubas-tourism-industry-collapses-as-jet-fuel-crisis-forces-flight-cancellations\/","url_meta":{"origin":95688,"position":2},"title":"Cuba’s Tourism Industry Collapses as Jet Fuel Crisis Forces Flight Cancellations","author":"Admin","date":"February 18, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Cuba's tourism sector is facing a devastating collapse after the island nation announced it was running out of jet fuel on February 8. Major airlines from Canada, Russia, and other countries have suspended flights, leading to the cancellation of over 1,700 flights through April and forcing hotels to close across\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "World News"","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771415131847.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":24299,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/cuban-health-minister-blames-us-fuel-sanctions-for-medical-crisis\/","url_meta":{"origin":95688,"position":3},"title":"Cuban Health Minister Blames US Fuel Sanctions for Medical Crisis","author":"Admin","date":"February 20, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Cuba's Health Minister says American fuel sanctions are threatening the lives of millions of Cubans by crippling the island's already struggling healthcare system. 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The shipment comes as Cuba faces widespread blackouts and an energy crisis that has crippled hospitals and transportation across the island nation.","rel":"","context":"In "World News"","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774959772836.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774959772836.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774959772836.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774959772836.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774959772836.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":27519,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/treasury-department-approves-venezuelan-oil-sales-to-cuba-under-new-guidelines\/","url_meta":{"origin":95688,"position":5},"title":"Treasury Department Approves Venezuelan Oil Sales to Cuba Under New Guidelines","author":"Admin","date":"February 25, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The U.S. Treasury Department announced Wednesday it will permit companies to apply for licenses allowing the resale of Venezuelan oil to Cuba, potentially helping address the island's severe fuel shortage. 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