Cuba is experiencing nationwide electricity blackouts and severe fuel shortages after reports indicated the country's petroleum reserves were exhausted [1].
These outages threaten the basic stability of the island's infrastructure and public services. The crisis has disrupted education, transportation, and the tourism sector, leaving millions of residents unable to access essential utilities during a period of extreme energy volatility.
Reports from April and May 2026 indicate multiple blackouts occurred throughout the island, including in Havana [2, 3]. In some instances, approximately 10 million people were left without electricity [3]. The duration of these outages varied significantly, with some blackouts lasting from 20 consecutive hours up to two full days [1]. A sixth nationwide blackout specifically lasted nearly 30 hours [4].
The cause of the energy collapse is attributed to a combination of systemic failures. Some reports said the blackouts resulted from the total exhaustion of petroleum reserves [1]. Other reports said the outages originated from a failure at the Nuevitas thermoelectric plant [3]. These issues were further compounded by the U.S. embargo and a critical lack of fuel imports [1, 3].
The impact extended beyond residential lighting. In April 2026, the tourism sector reported significant declines as fuel shortages and power failures emptied various destinations [5]. The lack of fuel has left many citizens without means of transport, and has forced the closure of schools and other public institutions [1].
Public frustration has grown as the energy grid remains unstable. The current situation represents some of the most severe power failures the country has faced in decades [2].
“Approximately 10 million people were without electricity”
The intersection of depleted fuel reserves and critical infrastructure failure at the Nuevitas plant highlights Cuba's extreme vulnerability to external trade restrictions and internal maintenance deficits. Because the island relies heavily on imported petroleum for power generation, the exhaustion of reserves creates a cascading failure that disables not only the electrical grid but also the transport and tourism industries, which are vital for the national economy.
