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Cuba power outage: What caused ‘complete blackout’? Is Trump's oil blockade behind it?
Cuba suffered a nationwide blackout affecting 11 million amid a fuel shortage after Trump’s oil embargo. But Monday's outage was the result of a grid failure.
The effects of the ongoing energy crisis in the Republic of Cuba became palpable on Monday as the entire island nation was left without power. 11 million people in Cuba are currently under a "complete blackout," Cuba's Ministry of Energy and Mines confirmed on X Monday.
The crisis hit as Cuba opened talks with the United States over the energy embargo imposed by President Donald Trump, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said Friday. Cuba, which produces 40% of the oil it consumes, primarily relies on fuel imports, crucially from Venezuela.
Monday's outage was a result of a failure with the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant due to a boiler issue. The boiler issue was caused by the fuel shortage, as the power grid, the largest in Cuba, was operating at a significantly low wattage level compared to normal.
Following the US capture of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro in January this year, critical oil shipments from the country to Cuba has not come in as scheduled. The country has not been able to bring in oil shipments for the last three months, President Miguel Díaz-Canel said.
Trump imposed an energy embargo on Cuba to pressure its government, which, according to the US, "threatens national security and supports hostile states." The embargo was issued via an executive order on January 29, 2026, shortly after the capture of Nicolas Maduro.
More On What Caused The Power Outage
Cuba produces its own energy, primarily with the oil that it drills from within its territory. But with the oil blockade and given its significant dependence on fuel imports, the current oil produce has not been sufficient to run power production.
Miguel Díaz-Canel, as he announced talks with the US Friday, said that the country's medical system had to postpone tens of thousands of surgeries due to the power outage.
Also read: Cuba power outage update: When will complete blackout end? Scary videos emerge
Amid the crisis, the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant is being reportedly forced to work under 600 MW capacity, far below the 2,000 MW needed. The boiler of the plant collapsed due to the significantly lowered wattage, leading to a cascading grid failure.
This is the largest outage the country has had since the rolling outages began amid the energy embargo. Díaz-Canel said that the country is currently operating on natural gas and solar energy.
Earlier in the first week of March, a similar outage hit Havana and the rest of western Cuba, leaving millions without power for over 72 hours.
