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The "Camilo Cienfuegos" Photovoltaic Solar Park, located in the municipality of Río Cauto, Granma province, was completely flooded following the heavy rains brought on by Hurricane Melissa.
CMKX Radio Bayamo shared a photo of the current state of the solar park. The site, which was already synchronized with the National Electric System (SEN), is submerged underwater along with extensive agricultural areas and homes near the Cauto valley.
The solar panels appear almost submerged, and it is expected that there will be severe damage to a key infrastructure for electricity generation in eastern Cuba.
The ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel assured last week that Hurricane Melissa caused "minimal damage in photovoltaic parks" and in his opinion, this is a sign that the country successfully withstood the impact of the phenomenon.
The Río Cauto solar park was synchronized to the National Electric System (SEN) in July 2025. It was capable of delivering 21.8 megawatts (MW) of clean energy, but it is currently out of service.
The authorities of the Provincial Defense Council, along with high-ranking officials from the Eastern Army and leaders of the Communist Party, assessed the damage during an aerial tour of the affected area.
The collapse of the solar park represents another blow to the already deteriorating national energy system, which is marked by daily blackouts and a lack of maintenance.
Meanwhile, residents of the area reported on social media the sluggishness of the rescue efforts and the lack of effective responses to the scale of the disaster.
The images of the disaster revive the debate about the vulnerability of Cuba's energy infrastructure to increasingly intense weather events.
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