Related videos:
The energy crisis in Cuba continues to deepen: according to the official report from the Electricity Union (UNE) for this Thursday, the country once again experienced disruptions throughout the previous 24 hours, while the national electricity deficit has again reached critical levels, exceeding 1,860 MW at peak times.
The UNE reported that the greatest impact of the previous day occurred at 6:30 PM, with a deficit of 1,861 MW, a figure that confirms the structural incapacity of the National Electric System (SEN) to meet even the minimum demand of the country.
Current state of the system: unmet demand and unavoidable blackouts
At 6:00 AM this Thursday, the SEN recorded:
Availability: 1,520 MW
Demand: 2,450 MW
Deficit impact: 880 MW
For the afternoon period, the UNE projects impacts of 1,000 MW, while during peak hours the situation will worsen further: demand would reach 3,400 MW and availability would barely rise to 1,565 MW, resulting in a deficit of 1,835 MW and an estimated impact of 1,865 MW.
In other words, more than half of the country will be in the dark during peak consumption hours.
What is failing: breakdowns, maintenance, technical limits, and lack of fuel
The causes of the energy collapse remain multiple and cumulative:
Breakdowns
Unit 5 of the CTE Máximo Gómez
Unit 2 of the CTE Felton
Unit 6 of CTE Renté
Scheduled maintenance
Units 2 and 3 of the Santa Cruz CTE
Unit 4 of the CTE Carlos Manuel de Céspedes (Cienfuegos)
Technical limitations
511 MW out of service due to thermal generation failures.
Lack of fuel and lubricants
98 distributed generation plants offline due to lack of fuel: 913 MW lost
94 MW affected by lack of lubricant
Total for fuel: 1007 MW
The sum of these impacts reveals a collapsed infrastructure, lacking technical reserves, insufficient fuel, and no capacity for recovery.
Solar panels: a helpful contribution, but insufficient
The 33 new photovoltaic solar parks contributed 2,510 MWh, with a peak of 470 MW. Although significant, this figure does not offset the massive decline of the thermal system, which continues to be the foundation of the country's electricity generation.
Havana: over 20 hours affected
The Electric Company of Havana reported that the capital experienced outages throughout the day, peaking at 237 MW at 6:20 PM. Service was restored only at 12:32 AM.
Although there were no blackouts early in the morning, the forecast for Thursday and Friday is unfavorable, with new cuts almost guaranteed as the country's energy trunk remains in a critical state.
A system on the brink of permanent collapse
With a deficit of over 1,800 MW, the island is facing one of the most severe moments of its energy crisis in decades. The UNE does not provide a recovery outlook, and the cycles of extended blackouts have a direct impact on daily life, economic activity, basic services, and social stability.
Each new official note confirms a pattern: the situation is not improving; it is worsening.
Filed under: