The collapse of the nation’s antiquated grid has plunged millions into darkness, prompting Havana to accuse Washington of inflicting “collective punishment” on the island.
Catastrophic failure strikes late on Sunday
Cuba’s national electricity grid suffered a complete collapse late on Sunday evening, marking the second nationwide blackout to hit the island in a single week. The state-run utility company, Unión Eléctrica (UNE), confirmed the system failure occurred at precisely 11:43 p.m. local time.
“At 11:43 p.m. on Sunday, a total disconnection of the national electro-energetic system occurred,” the company stated in a brief post on the social media platform X.
A system pushed to breaking point
The sweeping outage is the latest symptom of a deep-seated energy crisis gripping the Caribbean nation. For years, Cubans have endured rolling blackouts and severe power shortages, a crisis driven by crumbling, Soviet-era power plants and an acute scarcity of fuel. The grid’s fragility was starkly highlighted just days earlier on July 11, when a near-identical incident left the entire country without electricity for a full 24 hours.
“Collective punishment”
As frustration mounts among the population, the Cuban government has pointed the finger squarely at the United States. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla recently sharpened his rhetoric in response to the worsening blackouts, arguing that the economic embargo imposed by Washington amounts to a targeted assault on ordinary citizens.
The minister declared that the American administration is subjecting the people of Cuba to a form of “collective punishment,” suggesting the blockade directly prevents the island from acquiring the necessary resources and spare parts to maintain its power infrastructure.
