Much of Havana is without electricity following a partial collapse of the National Electric System

A large part of Havana was left without electricity this Thursday, following a partial collapse of the National Electric System (SEN) that plunged extensive areas of the capital and other provinces into darkness, amid the imminent arrival of tropical storm Melissa.

The Electrical Company of Havana announced on Facebook that a "load fluctuation of the SEN" caused a DAF trip that affected the substations of Plaza, Tropical, Príncipe, and Naranjito, interrupting a "significant number of circuits." The statement, brief and lacking in details, merely indicated that work is being done to restore the service "once the causes of the unforeseen event are known."

According to industry specialists, a load fluctuation occurs when the generation and demand for energy become out of sync, leading to sharp variations in the electrical frequency of the system. This type of imbalance can be caused by failures in generation plants, overloads, or variations in the transmission network, and it can trigger automatic disconnections to prevent greater damage.

In the case of Cuba, these fluctuations are becoming increasingly frequent due to technical deterioration, lack of maintenance, and fuel shortages affecting the country's thermoelectric power plants.

However, the official response generated a wave of criticism on social media, where hundreds of Cubans expressed their frustration and distrust regarding yet another massive blackout with no clear explanations.

The blackout occurs at a particularly delicate time. According to the latest report from the SEN, the generation deficit has reached 1,818 MW, against a demand of 2,526 MW, leaving the system in a critical state.

Key plants such as Felton, Mariel, Renté, and Santa Cruz remain out of service, and over 70 distributed generation facilities are shut down due to lack of fuel or breakdowns.

The fragility of the system is compounded by the threat of Melissa, so far a tropical storm moving slowly over the central Caribbean with sustained winds of 85 km/h and could intensify in the coming hours.