Cuba's electricity grid collapsed late on Sunday, August 2nd, 2026, causing a nationwide blackout, the state-owned grid operator reported. State-run UNE confirmed a "total disconnection" of the national electricity system, plunging the entire country, including the capital Havana, into abrupt darkness.

Residents in Havana reacted with audible groans as the lights went out while they sought relief from the summer heat. The blackout is the latest in a series of total power grid failures that have severely disrupted daily life. Each outage also affects water supplies and halts ceiling fans, compounding the difficulties faced by a society already enduring a prolonged energy crisis.

The ongoing power issues stem from aging infrastructure and a US energy embargo that has stopped regular fuel deliveries to Cuban power stations. Washington has authorized only one Russian tanker carrying 100,000 tons of crude oil, which arrived in March.

The Cuban Ministry of Energy stated that protocols to reactivate the grid were underway, aiming to restore power as soon as possible.

Sources