Cuba is experiencing a new massive blackout this Tuesday following the complete disconnection of the National Electric System at 11:05 a.m., as confirmed by the Electric Union through its official channel.
The state media Cubadebate also shared the announcement: "We inform you that there has been a new disconnection from the National Electric System."
This blackout is the fifth total outage recorded so far in 2026 and the tenth in approximately 24 months, making the energy situation in Cuba an unprecedented crisis in the island's recent history.
The most alarming aspect is the speed at which the collapses are occurring: the fourth total blackout of the year happened on July 10, just four days prior, caused by a failure in the 220 kV transmission line between Santa Clara and Sancti Spíritus.
At the same time, that event occurred just four days after the third total blackout of the year, recorded on July 6.
Three complete outages in eight days reflect the pace of deterioration of an infrastructure that can no longer afford to recover.
The figures from the official system illustrate the magnitude of the problem: the informational note from Unión Eléctrica for this Tuesday projected a deficit of between 1,990 and 2,020 MW, with a generation availability of just 1,155 MW against a forecasted maximum demand of 3,150 MW.
On Monday, the maximum impact had reached 1,775 MW at 9:50 PM, with sustained outages occurring throughout the 24-hour period.
Among the units out of service due to malfunctions are units six and eight of the Máximo Gómez Thermoelectric Plant in Mariel; unit two of Lidio Ramón Pérez in Felton; and unit three of Antonio Maceo in Renté.
In addition, 106 distributed generation plants are idle due to a lack of fuel, representing 890 MW that are unavailable, along with the Regla, Melones, Mariel, and Moa barges, all out of service.
The structural causes of this crisis are well-known: aging thermoelectric plants with no capital maintenance for over a decade, a chronic fuel shortage exacerbated by the reduction of subsidized oil from Venezuela, and the lack of real investment in infrastructure.
Each total collapse requires a recovery process that can last several days, involving the creation of regional microsystems —such as Energás Boca de Jaruco in the west and Energás Varadero in the center— before the large thermal power plants can be reconnected.
While the crisis deepens, Díaz-Canel urged to "better organize the blackouts" without providing structural solutions, a response that encapsulates the regime's stance in the face of an emergency that impacts water supply, hospitals, and the daily lives of millions of Cubans.
In July 2026, daily blackouts in Cuba average between 20 and 24 hours, with some areas experiencing over 72 consecutive hours without electricity.
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