The Electric Union (UNE) of Cuba reported on Tuesday that at 2:44 PM, the synchronization of the National Electric System (SEN) was achieved for the first time since the collapse that left a large part of the country without electricity last Friday.
“At 2:44 PM, the National Electric System was synchronized,” the entity stated in a brief message posted on its Facebook profile.
This event marks a crucial step in restoring the service, following days of interruptions that seriously affected the population and various economic sectors.
The official portal Cubadebate shared on the social network X a chart showing the recovery of the National Electric System across the country, highlighting that the western and central regions are in a better situation compared to the eastern part of the island.
The provinces of Pinar del Río, Mayabeque, Artemisa, and Havana show a recovery rate of over 95%, while from Matanzas to Camagüey, the progress is between 40% and 60%.
On the other hand, Las Tunas and Holguín show a recovery of over 90% of their electrical infrastructure, while in Granma the recovery percentage ranges between 40% and 60%.
The most critical situation is recorded in Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo, where the graphic shared by the news portal does not specify the level of recovery.
Hours after the commissioning of generation unit No. 3 at the Antonio Maceo Thermal Power Plant, also known as Rente, in Santiago de Cuba, a malfunction occurred that led to a system collapse. As a result, a microsystem linking the provinces of Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo failed, leaving them without electricity.
Last Sunday, following another disconnection from the National Electric System, the Electric Union announced a temporary strategy for service restoration, dividing the electricity supply into several independent systems by region.
This measure aimed to ensure the stability of the rest of the system in the face of potential future failures, as reported by journalist Lázaro Manuel Alonso on Facebook on Monday morning, citing the state entity.
At dawn on Tuesday, the Ministry of Energy and Mines reported that, in the UNE's update at 6:00 AM (local time), 70.89% of customers in Cuba already had electrical service.
The agency stated on the social media platform X that today it would continue "the strengthening of established systems and the expansion of electrical coverage in the country."
The official newspaper Granma reported on Tuesday the recovery of the system as an achievement and noted that, after the collapse of the SEN, "there were malfunctions at the CTE Antonio Maceo, in Santiago de Cuba, with prospects for rejoining today (Tuesday)."
He also mentioned that maintenance has been carried out on a unit of the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Power Plant in Cienfuegos and on a machine in Santa Cruz del Norte, with the process expected to last around six months.
The news portal highlighted that, on the other hand, Energas reported a breakdown of equipment in Varadero, although it mentioned that it plans to return on the 23rd with 45 MW.
However, he also acknowledged that there will soon be a need for light maintenance on the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant in Matanzas and the Lidio Ramón Pérez plant in Felton.
Finally, the spokesperson for the government cited Susana Aulet, a retired expert from the National Cargo Office of the UNE, who explained that restoring total failures in electrical systems takes many days because electricity is needed to generate electricity.
It was pointed out that in the case of Cuba, due to the absence of neighboring countries at the borders that can supply electricity, it is essential to start with small microsystems that synchronize with each other through networks to provide them with the necessary robustness.
"An isolated microsystem is very vulnerable, and any event, no matter how minor—an increase in demand, a short circuit in the network, etc.—can cause it to collapse, and then everything has to start all over again," he said.
However, what the specialist forgot to mention is that for decades, Cuba's electrical infrastructure has been operating without proper maintenance and without significant upgrades.
Although the government insists on pointing to external factors such as the U.S. embargo, the reality is that the problems stem from failed internal decisions and poor planning.
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