HAVANA (AP) — Cuba suffered a nationwide blackout on Monday, March 16, 2026, leaving its approximately 11 million people without power. The Ministry of Energy and Mines confirmed the total outage on the social media platform X, stating the failure occurred in the country's main electrical system.
The blackout is the latest and most severe symptom of a deepening energy crisis that has plagued the island for years. Cuba's power grid is notoriously aged and poorly maintained, leading to frequent localized outages. Officials have long cited a lack of fuel, spare parts due to U.S. sanctions, and insufficient infrastructure investment as key causes.
Power was gradually restored to parts of the capital, Havana, and other regions hours after the blackout began. However, full restoration across the island remained uncertain. The incident exacerbates daily hardships for Cubans, who already contend with severe shortages of food, medicine, and other basic goods amid a protracted economic downturn.
The blackout occurred just over a week after another major power failure on March 7, 2026, which affected a significant portion of the country. These systemic failures highlight the critical state of Cuba's infrastructure and the mounting challenges for its government.
