storm disrupts power restoration after cuba's sixth blackout
2 minute read
general view of havana during a nationwide blackout on august 3, 2026.
yamil lage
/
afp via getty images
see more toronto sun on google — save as a preferred source
cuba is working to restore power after its sixth nationwide blackout of the year over the weekend.
power went out across the island’s capital, havana, late sunday, leaving residents heading outdoors for some respite as the summer heat continues.
about 50% of power had been restored in havana, as well as seven provinces in central and western cuba, by midday monday, afp reported.
however, a storm that hit the island nation hampered some of the restoration efforts, according to union electrica, cuba’s state energy utility.
“in the process of reestablishing the (national electric system), existing weather events caused disruptions to the grid, directly affecting the generator units that were online,” union electrica said on monday afternoon.
“we continue to work intensively to revert the situation and achieve the system reset as soon as possible.”
a man rides his bicycle down a street during a blackout in havana on august 1, 2026.
yamil lage
/
afp via getty images
u.s. blocking oil from cuba
sunday’s power outage comes as the united states continues to block oil from reaching cuba, something the country uses to power its aging energy infrastructure.
the island nation’s years-long energy crisis got worse in january after the u.s. captured venezuelan president nicolas maduro, and forced the government to stop shipping oil to cuba. mexican export of oil has also stopped after u.s. pressure, cnn reported.
so far this year, cuba also suffered two power outages in march and three in july.
rolling blackouts throughout the summer have been challenging for cubans, who are forced to cook, wash and surf the internet in the middle of the night, with uncertainty of how many hours the power will last. it has forced residents to adapt to the frequent blackouts.
cuba has blamed decades of american sanctions and trade restrictions for limiting access to fuel, financing and spare parts needed to maintain its electric systems. the u.s. has said the outages are a reflection of the failures of cuba’s state-run economic model, reuters reported.
advertisement
the country’s decades-old thermal generating fleet suffered from constant breakdowns as a lack of fuel and maintenance problems caused issues on the grid, making it susceptible to disruptions and creating complications in restoring power after outages.
share story
