On Wednesday, July 22, 2026, the Cyprus Electricity Transmission Operator implemented rotating power cuts across the country to stabilize the grid as a severe heatwave drove electricity demand beyond generation capacity. Residential consumers were divided into 22 groups, with outages lasting approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Critical infrastructure, including hospitals, remained exempt from the cuts, which affected both urban and rural areas, including parts of Paphos, as the system struggled with technical faults at the Dhekelia and Vasiliko power stations.

By Thursday, July 23, repairs to the ageing generating units were underway to restore capacity. Officials at the Transmission System Operator expressed optimism that returning these units to service would stabilize the grid, even as demand reached a historic record of over 1,370 megawatts that afternoon. Meanwhile, the power outages sparked significant political criticism, with opposition parties such as AKEL and DISY accusing the government of systemic failures in energy planning, chronic delays in infrastructure projects, and a lack of investment in energy storage solutions. Authorities maintain that the measures were a necessary, temporary step to prevent a total grid collapse during extreme temperature conditions.