Cuba Restores Nationwide Power After Extensive Blackout
Cuba’s electricity company announced that power has been restored across the country on Friday following a widespread blackout. The outage occurred on Tuesday, May 12, affecting approximately 65 percent of Cuba’s territory.
One day into the crisis, the Cuban Minister of Energy stated on state television that the country’s oil reserves had “run out,” raising concerns about the stability of the electrical grid. Subsequently, by Thursday, power was restored in eight out of the 15 provinces, and finally on Friday, the electricity company confirmed the full reconnection of the nationwide network.
However, reports indicate that scheduled blackouts are still ongoing, and Cuba’s main thermal power plant remains non-operational, a situation that does not rule out the possibility of repeated disruptions.
Cuba’s power grid had previously collapsed twice in the first quarter of 2026, on March 5 and March 16. Additionally, in January 2026, Cuba’s oil imports fell to zero for the first time since 2015. This occurred following the U.S. cutting shipments from Venezuela and the halt of planned exports from Mexico, increasing the strain on Cuba’s energy sector.
