Second nationwide blackout in five days hits Cuba as dissident rapper transferred on eve of protest anniversary

Second blackout this week

Cuba suffered a total disconnection of its national electric system at 16:30 local time (20:30 GMT) on Friday, July 10, according to state utility Unión Eléctrica (UNE). The collapse is the second nationwide blackout in five days, after a voltage fluctuation combined with low electricity output cut power across the island on Monday. The UNE said full restoration from that earlier outage was not achieved until Wednesday.

This is the fourth general blackout in less than six months and the ninth since late 2024. UNE managers blamed the difficulty in restoring service on low fuel availability, a direct consequence of the oil blockade Washington imposed on Cuba in January.

Disconnection total del Sistema Eléctrico Nacional

Aging grid and US sanctions

Cuba's electricity production relies on seven aging thermoelectric plants, some in operation for more than 40 years, that suffer frequent breakdowns or require maintenance shutdowns. The country's largest station, Antonio Guiteras in Matanzas province, has been stopped for repairs and has been taken offline more than 15 times since the beginning of the year. Daily outages in Havana already last over 24 hours, while in some interior regions they can exceed 70 hours.

Bloomberg reported that authorities activated protocols to recover service. The US oil blockade restricts both fuel shipments and financing, compounding the grid's chronic deterioration.

Cuba suffered a nationwide blackout on Friday, the second in less than a week, as the communist-run country grapples with an aging power grid, chronic fuel shortages and US sanctions.

Solar capacity rises

To reduce its dependence on imported oil, the Cuban government has accelerated the installation of solar parks, with assistance from China. Between 2025 and early 2026, 56 photovoltaic parks were brought online, generating more than 1,000 MW, which now accounts for 10% of total national electricity production. At the end of 2024, solar contributed just 3% of the mix. The authorities aim to reach 15% by the end of 2026.

Detained rapper moved

On the same day, dissident rapper Maykel Osorbo was extracted from the penitentiary where he is serving a nine-year sentence and transferred to another prison, according to activist reports. The transfer came on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the historic July 2021 demonstrations, a sensitive date for the government. No official reason was given for the move.

Le rappeur dissident cubain Maykel Osorbo a été extrait vendredi de l'établissement pénitentiaire où il purge une peine de neuf ans et transféré dans une autre prison.

The coincidence of the outage and the prisoner transfer underscores the pressure Cuba faces on multiple fronts, from infrastructure collapse to political dissent.