Lack of electricity generation leads to widespread blackouts in Cuba

Power outages in Cuba continue to impact the daily lives of millions of families, after the Electric Union (UNE) acknowledged that the National Electric System (SEN) experienced disruptions throughout Thursday and that these extended into the early hours of Friday.

The state-owned company itself admitted that the generation capacity deficit reached 1,826 megawatts (MW) during peak night hours, and that the crisis shows no signs of easing.

According to the official report, at 6:00 AM on September 19, the availability of the National Electric System was only 1660 MW, compared to an estimated demand of 2820 MW, leaving more than a third of the country without electricity, with a real deficit of 1190 MW at that time.

By noon, the official projection was even more grim: 1300 MW of impact.

The UNE estimated that during peak evening hours, national demand will be around 3,450 MW, while the available generation capacity will only reach 1,760 MW.

This means a deficit of 1690 MW, which will lead to a widespread impact of up to 1760 MW, nearly half of the national consumption.

A system overwhelmed by breakdowns and maintenance

The report detailed that unit 2 of the Felton thermoelectric plant (CTE) in Holguín is out of service due to a malfunction.

Another four units -the 5 from Mariel, the 1 from Felton, the 2 from Santa Cruz, and the 4 from Carlos Manuel de Céspedes in Cienfuegos- are currently stopped for maintenance.

This is in addition to the scheduled shutdown of Unit 6 at the Nuevitas CTE in Camagüey due to a malfunction.

These incidents are compounded by technical limitations that keep 483 MW offline, highlighting the fragility of an outdated energy infrastructure that relies on thermoelectric plants that have been in operation for decades.

Deficit exacerbated by the fuel shortage

The UNE itself acknowledged that 53 distributed generation plants ceased production due to a lack of fuel, resulting in a loss of 345 MW. Additionally, 117 MW remain idle due to the absence of lubricants, bringing the total affected by this cause to 452 MW.

These figures confirm that the energy crisis is not only due to recurrent breakdowns but also to the government's inability to ensure fuel supply to its own facilities.

Havana also in the dark

The Electric Company of Havana reported that the capital of the country experienced power outages for 16 hours and 23 minutes on Thursday, with interruptions affecting all six districts of the city.

The service was restored only at 1:28 am this Friday, after reaching a peak of 129 MW affected at 8:10 pm.

Although the capital entity tried to justify the situation by stating that the interruptions "depend on the demands of the SEN," the truth is that the collapse is national and is due to a lack of investment, planning, and autonomy in the energy system.

A model that does not provide solutions

The UNE report also aimed to highlight the production from the 31 photovoltaic solar parks, which generated 2,555 megawatt-hours with a peak of 359 MW at midday.

However, these figures are insignificant compared to the magnitude of the accumulated deficit and demonstrate the government's failure to diversify the energy matrix.

Despite the repeated announcements about renewable energy projects, the country continues to rely on outdated thermal power plants and costly fuel agreements that have never been able to meet the actual demand of the population.

The consequence is a country that lives under a regime of permanent blackouts, where official figures fail to conceal the fact that power outages are no longer exceptions, but rather the daily norm in the lives of Cubans.

Frequently asked questions about the energy crisis and power outages in Cuba