Cuba Power Grid Collapses Fifth Time Amid U.S. Fuel Blockade

Miguel Díaz-Canel faces the deepest energy crisis in decades as Cuba's national power grid collapsed for the fifth time in less than a year on May 18, 2026, plunging nearly 10 million people into darkness after a failure at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant. The collapse followed the total exhaustion of diesel and fuel oil reserves, which Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy announced had run dry in mid-May. The crisis traces to a January 2026 executive order by U.S. President Donald Trump that threatened tariffs on any nation supplying fuel to Cuba, cutting off shipments from Venezuela, Mexico, and Russia.

Protests erupted across Havana beginning May 12, with residents in neighborhoods like Bahía, Marianao, and San Miguel del Padrón staging cacerolazos, lighting bonfires, and blocking streets to demand electricity and food. Blackouts stretched from 20 hours to over 30 hours in some areas. The Cuban government responded with militarization, police surveillance, and at least 14 arrests. A major grid failure on May 15 blacked out eastern provinces from Ciego de Avila to Guantanamo after a transmission line frequency drop in Granma province.

The United Nations declared the U.S. fuel blockade unlawful and warned of a humanitarian emergency. UN and WHO officials reported that 100,000 patients—including 11,000 children—await suspended surgeries, five million people with chronic illnesses lack reliable care, and 32,000 pregnant women face risks from failing neonatal equipment. Hospital staff carry water up stairs because pumps have stopped working.

The U.S. State Department offered $100 million in humanitarian aid through the Catholic Church and independent agencies, conditioning broader relief on political liberalization and prisoner releases. Díaz-Canel said Cuba would accept aid if delivered according to universal humanitarian practices but demanded the blockade be lifted. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez dismissed the offer as a deception, asking whether it was a donation or a dirty deal to curtail independence. Trump labeled Cuba a failed nation and suggested a potential takeover, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions on GAESA and 12 Cuban officials. CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Havana to discuss bilateral cooperation as the standoff deepened.