Cuba Suffers Third Nationwide Blackout in Two Weeks as Grid Collapses

Cuba was hit by its third nationwide blackout in two weeks as the national power grid collapsed again, leaving millions without electricity. The country's aging, oil-dependent generating plants have struggled to run as fuel supplies dwindle.

The immediate cause is a shortage of fuel that has persisted since January, when President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on any nation that supplies or sells oil to the island. That threat has discouraged shipments and deepened an already severe financial and economic crisis, compounding the effect of longstanding US sanctions on the Cuban economy.

The repeated grid failures show how directly external economic pressure can translate into physical collapse in a fragile, import-dependent economy. Without reliable fuel deliveries, Cuba cannot keep its power stations running, and each blackout compounds the disruption to food storage, water pumping, and daily life.