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The Unit 3 of the Antonio Maceo Thermoelectric Power Plant (CTE), known as Renté, in Santiago de Cuba, went out of service again this Friday just hours after being connected to the National Electric System (SEN).
According to the report from Unión Eléctrica de Cuba (UNE), the unit went offline at 14:05 due to “low vacuum,” a technical failure that disrupted its operation. The breakdown occurred less than 11 hours after its reactivation, officially announced at 03:35 am the same day.
Hours before the new ruling, the state-run press celebrated the supposed recovery of the Santiago plant. Granma reported that Renté was contributing over 150 megawatts to the SEN thanks to the simultaneous operation of units 3, 5, and 6, with the promise of “increasing loads” during the day.
However, the technical collapse of Unit 3 highlights the fragility of the Cuban thermoelectric grid, which suffers from constant interruptions due to obsolescence, poor maintenance, and a lack of spare parts.
The fall of Renté adds to a long list of failures and technical outages in the SEN, which has led to massive blackouts across the country. This Friday, UNE itself acknowledged a deficit of up to 1760 MW during the evening peak hours, affecting more than half of the national consumption.
In addition to the breakdowns at key plants such as Felton, Mariel, Santa Cruz, and Cienfuegos, the energy crisis is worsened by the lack of fuel. Fifty-three distributed generation plants are halted due to a shortage of diesel, and just as many are out of service due to a lack of lubricants.
The energy situation in Cuba has become a structural problem that impacts all aspects of daily life. Despite announcements regarding renewable energy and modernization projects, the national electric system continues to depend on aging thermal power plants and unsustainable supply agreements.
The prolonged and frequent blackouts have sparked popular protests in several provinces across the country, including the recent demonstration in Gibara, Holguín, where at least 27 people were arrested after demanding electricity and water.
Meanwhile, the Cuban population remains trapped in a cycle of unfulfilled promises, technical failures, and power outages that have ceased to be exceptional and have become the new normal on the island.
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