Cuba Blackout, Unstable Energy Supply Impact of US Embargo

JAKARTA - Cuba experienced a total power outage after the island's national power grid collapsed.

"There has been a total breakdown of the electrical system. The recovery protocol has been activated," Cuba's Ministry of Energy and Mines said on Monday, July 6 local time, as reported by Sputnik.

As of 14:00 local time, electricity generation had resumed at one of Cuba's power plants, according to energy management company Union Electrica de Cuba (UNE).

"One of the power plants at Energás Boca de Jaruco has returned to operation," UNE said via X.

The Boca de Jaruco Thermal Power Plant is located in Santa Cruz del Norte, Mayabeque Province. The plant has a power generation capacity of 313 megawatts (MW).

This latest nationwide power outage is the third to occur throughout 2026. Energy production and distribution in the Caribbean island nation is still in an unstable state.

At the end of January, the United States imposed an oil embargo on Cuba as well as threatened to impose tariffs on imports from countries that supply oil to Cuba.

The Cuban government stated that the United States used an energy embargo to strangle the country's economy and worsen the living conditions of its citizens.

This step further exacerbates the scarcity of fuel and disrupts the transportation sector, food production, health services, and education.