Cuba's national electric grid collapses for the third time in July

Cuba's national power grid collapsed on Tuesday, leaving millions of people without electricity and marking the third major nationwide blackout in just nine days.

The Ministry of Energy confirmed the outage in a statement posted on social media, saying there had been a "total disconnection of the electrical system".

The latest collapse has further highlighted the country's deepening energy crisis, with repeated outages disrupting daily life across the island of around 10 million people.

The recurring blackouts come amid severe fuel shortages and the continued deterioration of Cuba's ageing electricity infrastructure.

Cuban authorities have repeatedly pointed to the impact of U.S. sanctions and restrictions on oil supplies, arguing that they have made it increasingly difficult to secure the fuel needed to keep power stations operating.

The island previously relied heavily on fuel imports from Venezuela, while changes to regional oil shipments have further complicated Cuba's energy situation.

• Cuba restores power grid as blackouts continue amid U.S. fuel blockade

In the capital, Havana, traffic lights stopped working as electricity supplies failed, while the sound of private generators filled the streets as businesses and residents sought alternative power sources.

Many Cubans, already accustomed to frequent electricity cuts, said the latest nationwide blackout had intensified growing frustration over the reliability of essential services.

Julia Valdes, 70, said the repeated outages had made caring for her bedridden mother increasingly difficult.

"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," she said.

"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."

Growing public frustration

The prolonged electricity crisis has fuelled public dissatisfaction, with small nightly pot-banging protests taking place in several areas as residents express anger over the worsening power shortages.

Many Cubans say the repeated blackouts are affecting healthcare, food storage, businesses and everyday life, placing additional strain on households already facing economic hardship.

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

The government has not indicated when the national electricity system will be fully stabilised. With fuel shortages persisting and ageing infrastructure continuing to face pressure, Cubans remain uncertain over when reliable power supplies will be restored.

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