Cuba third nationwide blackout 2026

Cuba suffered its third nationwide blackout since the start of 2026 on July 6-7, plunging the island of nearly 10 million people into darkness. The state-run Cuba — Unión Nacional Eléctrica de Cuba reported a total disconnection of the national electricity generation system, with the cause under investigation. The blackout is the eighth since late 2024 and comes amid a severe energy crisis precipitated by U.S. President Donald Trump's January 2026 oil blockade, which cut off fuel supplies from Venezuela and threatened tariffs on any country selling oil to Cuba. Fuel reserves have dwindled; a Russian oil shipment in late March was exhausted by end of April. Rolling blackouts lasting over 24 hours in Havana and over 70 hours in rural areas have become common. The crisis has halted public transportation, canceled tens of thousands of surgeries, and led to shortages of food, water, and medicine, prompting UN warnings of a humanitarian emergency. Cuba's Energy and Mines Minister Vicente de la O Levy activated restoration protocols, but by late afternoon only 1% of Havana's demand was served. The U.S. State Department dismissed Cuba's recent free-market reforms as insufficient. Cuba accused Washington of blocking a UN debate on the blockade.