Cuba's National Electric System suffered a total disconnection on Friday, marking the eighth such nationwide blackout in 2026. The Ministry of Energy and Mines confirmed the collapse and stated that recovery protocols had been activated.

Officials reported that the outage began with a failure in transmission lines in the western part of the country, extending as far as Matanzas province. Unstable weather conditions aggravated the situation, leading to the eastern section also disconnecting. Before the full collapse, the system had only 1,113 MW of available generation against a projected demand of 3,210 MW.

By dusk on Friday, power had been restored to just 5 percent of users in Havana, which serves about 862,000 customers. Small micro-islands of power were being established in provinces including Camagüey, Pinar del Río, and Granma, with priority given to hospitals and emergency facilities.

This latest event adds to a series of total disconnections that have occurred throughout the year, including multiple incidents in March, July, and August. The blackout is the 12th since late 2024. Chronic fuel shortages have left the island's aging thermoelectric plants unable to meet demand, with many backup generators also offline due to a lack of imported diesel.

Residents described the ongoing hardships. Mercedes Rodriguez, a 60-year-old worker in Havana, said no one can stand the constant blackouts, noting shortages of food, water, and electricity. Lidia Fernández, a 36-year-old schoolteacher, expressed frustration over the cumulative effects on daily life.

The crisis has intensified since January, when the United States imposed measures cutting off fuel supplies to the island in an effort to pressure Havana's communist government. Cuba has long depended on subsidized oil from Venezuela and other sources, but those flows have been disrupted.

State media attributed part of the problem to the U.S. actions, while acknowledging the poor condition of the decades-old infrastructure. Recovery efforts remain gradual, with officials warning that restored circuits could fail again amid the severe generation deficit.