Cuba Recovers After Second Grid Collapse

Cuba Recovers After Second Grid Collapse

A man walks on a street as Cuba's national electric grid collapsed for the second time in a week amid the US-imposed oil blockade in Havana, Cuba, on Mar 21, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Norlys Perez)

Cuba has begun recovery efforts after its power grid collapsed for the second time in a week due to a U.S.-imposed oil blockade. The collapse of the grid on Saturday led to a nationwide blackout affecting millions of Cubans. Authorities have established microsystems to restore power for essential services while relying on gas-fired plants and oil-fired plants to maintain partial electricity supply.

Havana residents are facing significant challenges, with outages lasting hours each week. The situation has been exacerbated by limited communication due to cellular service being nearly unavailable. Prime Minister Manuel Marrero described the recovery effort as taking place under very complex circumstances.

Cuba's electrical grid has been unstable for months, leading to frequent power outages. This weekend's blackout marks the third major outage this month, following a failure on March 4 and another unexplained shutdown on Monday. The country has experienced numerous total outages in recent years, but two nationwide blackouts in a week are unprecedented.

The U.S. imposed an oil blockade after supporting the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January 2026, cutting off Venezuela's favorable oil exports to Cuba and threatening other nations with tariffs. Cuba blames the trade embargo for its economic failures, while Washington attributes the issues to Cuba's Soviet-style command economy.

Residents like Leoni Alberto in Havana are struggling with the situation, forced to use firewood for cooking multiple times a week. The lack of communication and internet access has left many without means to connect with others during this difficult time.