A general blackout would not have affected the thermoelectric plants, according to Cuban authorities

The Ministry of Energy and Mines of Cuba assured this Wednesday that the general blackout that occurred in the morning across the island did not cause damage to the thermoelectric plants, despite the total collapse of the National Electric System (SEN) following the unexpected shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras power plant in Matanzas.

"Up to this moment, no damage has been reported in any thermoelectric plant caused by the disconnection of the Electric System," the institution reported on its official X profile.

According to the report, Energas Boca de Jaruco has already started, and the process of energizing plants and substations has begun.

The Electric Union (UNE) confirmed that the total collapse of the SEN occurred at 9:14 a.m. and left the entire island without service.

During the day on Tuesday, the highest impact from generation deficit was 1,750 MW, and for this Wednesday, impacts of up to 1,790 MW were forecasted.

Among the reported incidents are breakdowns in Unit 3 and 6 of the CTE Renté, Unit 2 of the CTE Felton, and Unit 5 of the CTE Nuevitas.

Additionally, other units were under maintenance, and there were thermal limitations of 284 MW out of service, along with the shutdown of 44 distributed generation plants due to a lack of fuel.

The shutdown of the Guiteras was caused by a false signal of overheated steam in the boiler, which activated the automatic system and disconnected the thermal block, as confirmed by the state newspaper Girón. The plant director, Rubén Campos Olmo, acknowledged that it is unclear when operations will be able to restart or if the stoppage caused additional damage.

"The plant needs to receive external power to restart, and that depends on the stability of the system in other regions," the official explained.

Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz stated that the government has a "well-defined strategy" to address the total collapse of the SEN, although he did not explain why it cannot be prevented from happening again. Marrero praised the professionalism of the UNE workers and promised to keep the public informed during the recovery process.

With this collapse, Cuba has experienced five nationwide blackouts in less than a year, a figure that reflects the extreme fragility of the electrical system and the authorities' inability to ensure stable service amidst the fuel crisis, technical failures, and lack of maintenance in the thermoelectric plants.