Overview
- UNE said the national system suffered a “total collapse” at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, marking the second islandwide blackout in days as crews began recovery protocols.
- This outage was reported as the ninth nationwide failure since late 2024 and the fourth so far in 2026, showing a sharp rise in full‑island collapses.
- Cuba produces roughly 40% of its fuel needs, and a 730,000‑barrel delivery from Russia in late March was exhausted by the end of April, leaving thermal plants starved of fuel.
- The blackouts have halted much public transport, forced cancellation of tens of thousands of surgeries, strained hospitals and water systems, and left food and small businesses at risk of spoilage.
- Authorities are restoring service with local microsystems and extended rationing while investigations continue, raising the prospect of more prolonged outages and social strain if steady fuel supplies are not secured.