Cuba’s power grid collapses again, leaving millions without electricity for at least 6th time this year

September 19, 2026 / 8:11 AM EDT / CBS News

Cuba's power grid collapsed once again on Friday, leaving millions of people across the island without electricity for at least the sixth time since President Trump cut off fuel to the island in January.

The Ministry of Energy and Mines announced the islandwide power outage on its official X account and added that officials had begun "activating service-restoration protocols."

"No one can stand these constant blackouts. There isn't enough food, there's no water, there's no electricity — you have no idea," Mercedes Rodriguez, a 60-year-old worker in Havana, told The Associated Press as she waited for public transportation to return home. "The country is in such a sad state, and there are no words for what we're going through."

According to Cuban authorities, a failure reportedly occurred in transmission lines in the western part of the country, causing the system to collapse in that area — as far as Matanzas province — and the eastern section of the island was subsequently disconnected.

The official newspaper Granma reported "unstable" weather conditions further aggravated the grid's situation.

By dusk, power had been restored to 5% of users in Havana, which has a…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/