HAVANA — Cuba’s entire electrical grid collapsed Monday, plunging 11 million people into darkness as the island’s long-festering energy crisis reached a breaking point. The government confirmed a “complete disconnection” of the national power system and warned that restoring service would be gradual due to the grid’s fragile state.
As night fell, candles burned in homes while children played singing in the dark. “We have to prepare a mattress for the girls here so that they can sleep here because we have no choice,” said Yuneici Cecilia Riviaux in Havana, noting she lacks a rechargeable fan or generator.
Crews managed to restore power to 5% of Havana’s residents — about 42,000 customers — by Monday night, along with several hospitals. Officials prioritized the communications sector but warned that even these small circuits could fail again.
The nationwide outage marks the third major blackout in four months. Experts describe Cuba’s grid as “way past its normal useful life,” with technicians performing “magician” work to keep it running. William LeoGrande, a Cuba specialist, said the country faces “a perfect storm of collapse”: aging infrastructure, lack of maintenance, and insufficient oil shipments.
Cuba produces 40% of its petroleum but hasn’t been able to meet demand. The government says it hasn’t received oil shipments in three months, forcing it to operate on solar, natural gas, and thermoelectric plants. The energy shortage has forced the postponement of tens of thousands of surgeries.
The crisis is unfolding amid intense U.S. pressure. President Donald Trump said he believes he’ll have the “honor of taking Cuba,” calling it a “very weakened nation.” The Trump administration is demanding Cuba release political prisoners and move toward political and economic liberalization before lifting sanctions. U.S. officials confirm the goal is to see President Miguel Díaz-Canel leave power.
In response to the deepening economic emergency, the Cuban government announced measures to attract foreign currency: allowing Cubans abroad to own private companies, partner with state entities, and open foreign currency bank accounts.
For ordinary Cubans like Tomás David Velázquez Felipe, 61, the blackouts mean spoiled food and worsening hardship. “What little we have to eat spoils. Our people are too old to keep suffering,” he said. Mercedes Velázquez, 71, lamented another outage: “Everything goes bad.”
The government blames the U.S. energy blockade for its woes, while the Trump administration conditions relief on political changes. With no quick fix in sight, the island faces “constant misery” and the risk of social chaos and mass migration, LeoGrande warned.