Cuba Plunged Into Second Nationwide Blackout in a Week Amid Fuel and Power Crisis

Cuba was plunged into darkness once again on Friday as an islandwide blackout struck the country for the second time in a week , underscoring the severity of the nation’s deepening energy and economic crisis .

The Cuban Electric Union confirmed the outage on social media, while authorities continued to investigate the cause of the previous nationwide blackout that occurred on Monday. Although power failures have become increasingly common across the Caribbean island, two total blackouts within days are considered highly unusual.

The latest collapse of the electricity system has intensified concerns for the nearly 10 million residents who have endured months of chronic power shortages, fuel scarcity and deteriorating infrastructure. Cuba has been struggling with a crumbling power grid , forcing officials to impose scheduled outages that can last for more than 24 consecutive hours in some regions.

The energy crisis has been compounded by a severe shortage of fuel supplies. Since January, the island has faced increasing difficulties securing fuel imports after US President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba, adding pressure to an economy already burdened by significant financial constraints.

The shortages have disrupted daily life across the country. Public transportation has been drastically reduced, and authorities have cancelled tens of thousands of surgeries as resources become increasingly scarce.

Government figures indicate that Cuba produces only 40 per cent of the fuel it needs . A shipment of 730,000 barrels of Russian oil , delivered in late March, had been exhausted by the end of April, leaving the country heavily dependent on rationing and emergency measures to keep essential services functioning.

Recent months have seen a series of major disruptions, including a blackout that affected the eastern provinces in May and another that shut down the entire country in March. Friday’s outage has once again highlighted the enormous challenge facing Cuban authorities as they attempt to stabilize the power system and ease the hardships confronting millions of residents.