HAVANA — Cuba experienced its third nationwide power grid collapse in 10 days on Tuesday, plunging the island into darkness and prompting widespread disruption. The grid was reconnected at 7 a.m. on Wednesday, ending the latest blackout to affect the country of 9.5 million people.

The collapse came as summer temperatures on the island reached the mid-30s Celsius with 80% humidity, intensifying the impact of the outage on daily life. Jorge Piñon, a senior energy researcher at the University of Texas, attributed the recurring failures to the condition of the country's generating infrastructure. "The backbone of the system is still the big power plants. And they're old, broken and tired," Piñon said.

Vicente de la O Levy, Cuba's minister of energy, pointed to supply constraints as a central factor in the grid's inability to remain operational. "We've said it before, there is a total absence of fuel. And we do not have access to spare parts for our thermoelectric units," de la O Levy said.

The shortage of parts extends beyond the power sector. An electric car importer in Cuba said shipments of equipment remain stranded overseas due to logistics and procurement difficulties. "We have seven containers in Kingston and another 40 in China, but we have no idea when, or if, they will arrive," the importer said.

The outages triggered public demonstrations in multiple areas. Residents in Havana's Vedado neighbourhood engaged in cacerolazos, banging pots and pans, to protest the blackouts. Alberto, a resident in the Vedado neighbourhood, said the brief periods of electricity restored between collapses were insufficient for basic needs.

"An hour isn't enough time to run the pump to get water or to charge phones. People want the government to act right now," Alberto said.

Héctor Ochoa Vergara was detained after taking part in a peaceful demonstration against blackouts and water shortages in Ciego de Ávila. Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, who previously served a five-year term for disorderly conduct, was being held in an unknown location for a week while his visa for exile in the United States was arranged.

In a separate development, Jeb Bush linked Cuba with Iran over unconfirmed reports that Cuba has bought 300 attack drones. On the economic front, the Cuban government announced 176 measures expanding the private sector and inviting investment. The U.S. State Department dismissed Cuba's economic measures as "superficial smoke signals."

The repeated grid failures represent a compounding crisis for Cuba's infrastructure, with three total system-wide collapses occurring within a 10-day span. The energy minister's acknowledgment of a total fuel absence and a complete lack of spare parts for thermoelectric units points to systemic supply chain failures affecting both electricity generation and other sectors, including electric vehicle imports. Public protests in Havana and Ciego de Ávila, along with the detention of demonstrators and the ongoing detention of Otero Alcántara, illustrate the domestic pressure the outages have generated. The government's announcement of 176 private-sector measures and the U.S. State Department's rejection of those measures reflect the diplomatic dimension of the crisis, as the island navigates infrastructure collapse, fuel scarcity, and external scrutiny simultaneously.