The Electric Union (UNE) confirmed this Monday a new total disconnection of the National Electroenergetic System, the seventh complete collapse of the Cuban electrical grid in the last 18 months and the third so far in 2026. The brief statement from the state-owned company on Facebook —which only noted that "the causes are being investigated" and that automatic restoration procedures were beginning— immediately triggered a flood of mockery, sarcasm, and outrage among Cubans.
The reaction in the comments was overwhelming. "What are they going to investigate? Everyone knows what's going on," wrote one user. Another was more blunt: "The fuel has run out, that's the reason." A third added, "Don't investigate any further; you know perfectly well what happened." The irony in response to the official statement was the common thread in hundreds of replies.
Beyond the sarcasm, several comments reflected a deep exhaustion. "We don't even notice anymore because there is never any electricity," wrote a Cuban. Another summed up the situation with a question: "Was there electricity?" And yet another declared: "Whoever wants to know hell should come to Cuba."
The blackout occurred in the context of a record electricity deficit in Cuba: the forecast for this Monday was between 2,200 and 2,230 MW, with a mere availability of 1,000 MW compared to a demand of 3,100 MW. On Sunday, the maximum impact had reached 2,201 MW at 10 PM.
Among the structural causes are multiple thermal power plants out of service and 106 distributed generation plants halted due to lack of fuel, which represents 890 MW unavailable. The CTE Antonio Guiteras has experienced 17 outages from the system so far in 2026 and has not received capital maintenance since 2010. Additionally, Cuba has gone over three months without receiving shipments of oil, a fact that the citizens themselves point to as the real cause of the collapse.
The UNE did not provide an estimated timeline for the restoration of the service. As a first sign of recovery, the company reported that a generating unit from Energás Boca de Jaruco had come online, with no further details regarding the recovery schedule.
The process of restoration following a total disconnection can take several days, as it requires the establishment of regional microsystems before reconnecting the large thermoelectric plants. The longest general blackout of the current cycle occurred on March 16, 2026, lasting for 29 hours and 29 minutes.
The accumulated discontent has overwhelmed social media. On July 2, residents of La Lisa gathered in front of the PCC headquarters after more than 50 hours without electricity or water. A day later, residents of Regla took to the streets after more than 24 hours without power, with a heavy police presence and internet shutdowns. In some areas of Matanzas, power outages have lasted up to 87 consecutive hours.
"We are being killed slowly," wrote a Cuban in the UNE post, in a phrase that encapsulates the sentiment of those who have been facing a crisis for months that the regime has not been able to—nor seems willing to—resolve.
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