Cuba’s national electricity grid collapsed on Friday, Sept. 18, leaving millions without power across the island, the Energy and Mines Ministry said. The ministry activated restoration protocols but initially did not identify the cause. State utility Unión Eléctrica later said a transmission-line failure in western Cuba, exacerbated by unstable weather, caused the collapse as officials began restoring isolated systems [abcnews.com][sootoday.com][teletica.com]. The outage was the seventh nationwide blackout of 2026 and the 12th since late 2024. Cuba’s aging thermoelectric plants face fuel shortages, limited generation capacity and deteriorating infrastructure; Havana blames intensified U.S. restrictions on fuel and replacement parts, while Washington attributes the crisis to Cuba’s economic management [dw.com][caribbeannews.net][nation.com.pk][insiderpaper.com]. Highlights: • Partial restoration: By dusk, power had returned to about 5% of Havana’s roughly 862,000 customers [sootoday.com]. • Fuel dependence: Backup generators typically run on imported diesel, making fuel shortages a direct constraint on emergency power and thermoelectric generation [dw.com][insiderpaper.com]. • Poverty increase: An independent study released this week estimated that 66% of Cubans lived in poverty, compared with 45% in mid-2025, citing rising food prices [dw.com]. Perspectives: Cuban government critics: Critics cite decades of insufficient investment and frequent system failures, in addition to fuel constraints [n1info.rs]. (N1 Info) "It's one thing after another: no water, no gas for cooking, no electricity. Honestly, I don't know how we haven't gone crazy." — Lidia Fernandez Sources: • Cuba's electrical grid collapses again, plunging island into darkness - straitstimes.com • Cuba hit with another blackout as millions across island are left without electricity - abcnews.com • Cuba plunges into seventh major blackout of 2026 as US blockade continues to cripple the island - firstpost.com • Cuba hit with another nationwide blackout amid US fuel blockade - france24.com • Cuba faces another nationwide blackout amid US fuel blockade - dw.com • Millions of people are left without electricity in Cuba as a result of a collapse of the country's energy power grid. - apnews.com • Cuba hit with another blackout as millions across the island are left without electricity - sootoday.com • Cuba suffers nationwide power blackout amid energy crisis - nation.com.pk • Cuba power grid suffers nationwide collapse - tribune.com.pk • Cuba's power grid collapses, leaving millions without electricity - urdupoint.com • Cuba suffers another nationwide blackout - caribbeannews.net • شبكة الكهرباء في كوبا تنهار مجدداً والظلام يعم الجزيرة - annahar.com • Nuevo colapso de la red eléctrica de Cuba provoca apagón que deja al país sin servicio - larepublica.co • Stromausfall auf ganz Kuba - derstandard.at • Cuba hit with seventh major blackout of the year - insiderpaper.com • Целата земја остана без струја – колапс во електроенергетската мрежа - press24.mk • Cuba : nouvelle panne de courant massive, la septième de l'année - bluewin.ch • Цела Куба повторно остана без електрична енергија - vecer.mk • Kuba ponovno u mraku: Elektroenergetska mreža potpuno pala, struje nema diljem zemlje - n1info.hr • Cuba tem apagão após colapso total do sistema elétrico - globo.com • Куба остана без струја, целосно падна електроенергетската мрежа - tocka.com.mk • Grid elektrik nasional lumpuh sepenuhnya, seluruh Cuba bergelap - bharian.com.my • Cijela Kuba ostala bez struje - index.hr • Elektroenergetski kolaps na Kubi, cijela država ostala bez struje - oslobodjenje.ba • Ülke tamamen karanlığa gömüldü: Elektrik sistemleri çöktü - sozcu.com.tr • انهيار شبكة الكهرباء يغرق كوبا في الظلام - skynewsarabia.com • Cuba sufre nuevo apagón masivo, el séptimo del año - 24-horas.mx • Strømnettet har kollapset på Cuba - aftenposten.no • Cuba sufre nuevo apagón masivo, el sétimo del año - teletica.com • Stromnetz auf Kuba bricht erneut zusammen - onetz.de • Novi kolaps elektroenergetske mreže na Kubi: Cijelo ostrvo ostalo u potpunom mraku - mondo.ba • Cuba sofre sétimo apagão geral do ano - cartacapital.com.br • Sedmi pad elektronergetske mreže ove godine: Cijela Kuba ponovo ostala bez struje - n1info.ba • Celá Kuba se znovu ponořila do tmy. Ostrov zasáhl už sedmý letošní výpadek - idnes.cz • Totalt strömavbrott i Kuba – igen - aftonbladet.se • Nächster großflächiger Stromausfall in Kuba - orf.at • Un nou blackout în Cuba, vineri. A fost al şaptelea din 2026. Ministerul Energiei de la Havana: "A căzut toată reţeaua electrică" - antena3.ro • Kuba znova zavita v temo, električno omrežje povsem odpovedalo - n1info.si • Kuba ponovo u mraku: Potpuni kolaps elektroenergetskog sistema - n1info.rs • Stromausfall in Kuba: Neun Millionen Menschen in Kuba erneut ohne Strom - zeit.de • Η Κούβα ξανά στο σκοτάδι – Χωρίς ηλεκτρικό ρεύμα 9 εκ. κάτοικοι - tanea.gr • 9 млн. души в Куба са без ток, срина се електропреносната мрежа - 24chasa.bg • Cuba sofre seu s�timo apag�o no ano, e crise energ�tica se agrava - folha.com.br • Cijela Kuba opet ostala bez struje, u mraku je devet milijuna stanovnika! - slobodnadalmacija.hr • Η Κούβα βυθίστηκε στο σκοτάδι μετά την κατάρρευση του ηλεκτρικού δικτύου - eleftherostypos.gr • Eлектропреносната мрежа на Куба се срина изцяло - nova.bg • Zum siebten Mal 2026: Stromnetz auf Kuba bricht erneut zusammen - tagesspiegel.de • Kuba ponovo u mraku: Pala elektroenergetska mreža, bez struje gotovo devet miliona ljudi - danas.rs • Egyik pillanatról a másikra összeomlott egy egész ország áramhálózata - portfolio.hu • Tο έβδομο μαζικό μπλακάουτ από τις αρχές του έτους - avgi.gr • Cuba sufre el séptimo apagón masivo del año - eleconomista.com.mx • Στο σκοτάδι η Κούβα, νέο μαζικό μπλακάουτ, το έβδομο μέσα στο 2026 - protothema.gr • Η Κούβα βυθίζεται ξανά στο σκοτάδι: Το έβδομο μαζικό μπλακάουτ από τις αρχές του έτους - efsyn.gr • Κούβα: Νέο μαζικό μπλακάουτ, το έβδομο από τις αρχές του έτους - capital.gr --- 📰 Story aggregated by Kagi News