Power outages are intensifying in Cuba due to an energy deficit of nearly 1,600 MW

The energy situation in Cuba continues to deteriorate, impacting the Cuban people due to a generation deficit that reached 1,595 MW during peak hours.

The Cuban Electric Union (UNE) announced in an official statement that the generation capacity at the start of the day was only 1,550 MW, compared to a demand of 2,480 MW, leading to widespread power outages, particularly in the central-eastern region of the country.

According to the report, the energy deficit has persisted for 24 consecutive hours, with worsened conditions during the night of October 31. The situation has been further exacerbated by several generating units out of service due to breakdowns and fuel shortages. Among the affected plants are CTE Mariel, CTE Santa Cruz, CTE Cienfuegos, and CTE Nuevitas, all of which have their units offline. The UNE indicated that a capacity of only 1,675 MW is expected during peak hours, compared to an estimated demand of 3,200 MW, resulting in a projected deficit of 1,525 MW.

The current energy crisis is not an isolated event. Yesterday, the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente De La O Levy, stated that the Cuban electrical system is "fragile" due to logistical issues and adverse marine conditions that hinder fuel supply. While he ruled out a total collapse, he warned about the lack of stability in energy supply, which is further impacted by the aging of facilities and a lack of regular maintenance.

This fragility has alarmed the public, who fear a new energy collapse similar to the recent one, when the country experienced massive blackouts. On social media, Cubans express their frustration and report an unequal distribution of the outages, noting that Havana appears to be less affected than other provinces. The central-eastern region, in particular, has suffered the most significant impacts in recent days, generating criticism and a growing sense of social unrest.

With this forecast, the UNE anticipates a challenging situation in the coming days, with no signs of immediate improvement. Current conditions suggest that the deficit may persist, and if the situation continues, the impact on the daily lives of Cubans will intensify. The UNE and the Ministry of Energy and Mines have not provided a clear contingency plan, merely reporting on the situation and their efforts to reintegrate some generating units in the coming hours.

Meanwhile, Cubans are trying to adjust to a new period of blackouts that threatens to persist, while awaiting a definitive solution that enables the country to overcome this chronic energy crisis.