Cuba's Sixth Nationwide Blackout of 2026 Prompts US Embassy Security Alert

Cuba's national electrical grid collapsed again late Sunday, August 2 into Monday, August 3, marking the sixth total nationwide blackout of 2026 (three of them within a single 10-day span in July alone). State-run utility UNE said an electrical oscillation triggered the collapse even as crews were still reconnecting gas-fired units at the Boca de Jaruco plant near Havana from an earlier outage; thunderstorms then disrupted restoration efforts less than a day later, causing a further collapse. The US Embassy in Havana issued a security alert warning citizens of daily generation deficits exceeding 60%, rolling blackouts now stretching past 20 hours in many areas, and cellphone/internet disruptions. On Havana's Malecón seaside boulevard, residents slept outdoors in 93°F heat (feels-like 106°F) to escape stifling, powerless homes. Construction worker Alexey Ríos García said "Things are only getting worse. Tomorrow it'll collapse again ... and we'll be back on the Malecón," while teacher Elaine Delis Ramos said "We don't have any solution." Officials attribute the collapse to fuel shortages from the halted Venezuelan and Mexican oil imports, aging thermoelectric plants (some over 30 years old), and a lack of spare parts under US sanctions.