Cuba’s national power grid suffers ‘total disconnection’

Cuba’s national power grid on Monday suffered a “total disconnection,” operator UNE said on US social media platform X.

“A total disconnection of the National Electric Power System is occurring. The causes are being investigated,” UNE said, adding that updates would be provided.

The outage comes as Cuba grapples with its worst economic crisis in decades, including severe fuel shortages and repeated power failures.

Official media reported that the economy contracted sharply in the first half of 2026, while average daily power outages have reached 20 hours, and the country's electricity deficit climbed to 1,955 megawatts.

Cuban authorities have blamed much of the deterioration on tighter US measures, saying Washington has disrupted oil supplies, pressured companies doing business with Cuba, and restricted the island's access to international credit and financing.

The White House said on May 1 that President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing new sanctions on Cuban officials and entities, citing repression and threats to US national security and foreign policy.

In January, Trump also signed an executive order declaring a national emergency and establishing a mechanism to impose tariffs on goods from countries that sell or supply oil to Cuba, according to the White House.