Cuba's power grid failed for the third time in less than 10 days, sparking another nationwide blackout, the national electricity company said on Tuesday.

The national power grid completely went offline at about 11.05 am local time, the state-run UNE electricity company said.

It was the third complete blackout on the Caribbean island since early July and the fifth since the start of 2026. Authorities did not immediately reveal the cause.

Cuba is reeling from its worst economic crisis in decades – one made worse by the fuel blockade imposed by US President Donald Trump in January as part of a pressure campaign aimed at bringing down the government.

In both of last week's blackouts, it took more than 24 hours to restore power across the island of 9.6 million people, a process made slower and more complex by fuel shortages.

Many residents, accustomed to blackouts, expressed frustration at their ever-increasing frequency and duration.

"My mother is bedridden with dementia, and because of these blackouts I've had to throw away meat and fish from the refrigerator because it all spoiled," said Julia Valdes, 70.

"This is already the third collapse of the national electricity system this week. How much longer is this going to last? We can't go on living like this anymore."

The chronic power failures have fuelled frustration with the government and prompted small nightly pot-banging protests, as well as anger over the US-imposed oil blockade.

"It's unfair that we're having to go through this situation," said Valdes.

Relations between Washington and Havana have been tense since the start of the year, especially since US forces snatched Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro from his home in early January and brought him to the US to face federal charges.

Maduro has long been a staunch ally of Cuba.

US President Donald Trump has deemed Havana a threat to US national security. (Agencies)



Edited by Cecil Wong