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The energy crisis in Cuba continues to display its harshest face.
On Wednesday, widespread blackouts are expected due to the insufficient generating capacity of the National Electrical System (SEN), a situation that reflects years of inefficiency and lack of investment by the government.
According to reports from the Unión Eléctrica (UNE), the day on Tuesday was marked by continuous service interruptions, which began early in the morning, paused momentarily, and then affected users again shortly after.
The generation deficit reached peaks of 1,360 megawatts, while the eastern provinces, from Holguín to Guantánamo, experienced additional cuts of 140 MW due to the effects of hurricane Melissa.
Early in the morning this Wednesday, the availability of the National Electric System (SEN) was 1,470 MW against a demand of 1,987 MW, resulting in a deficit of 520 MW that already hinted at potential impacts on the population.
During the mid-peak hours, power cuts are estimated at 550 MW, while at peak consumption times, it is projected that insufficient capacity could leave over 1,200 MW of the country inactive.
The problem is compounded by breakdowns and maintenance issues in several units of the thermoelectric plants Antonio Maceo (Renté), Felton, Diez de Octubre (Nuevitas), Antonio Guiteras, Santa Cruz, and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes.
Additionally, over 300 MW are out of service due to limitations in thermal generation, and the scarcity of fuels and lubricants has left 81 distributed generation plants unable to operate, totaling 751 MW affected by this issue.
Despite the entry of unit 5 from Renté with 60 MW and unit 5 from Nuevitas with 55 MW, scheduled for peak hours, the total availability will not exceed 1,585 MW against a projected maximum demand of 2,800 MW.
This means a deficit of 1215 MW, with an impact of 1285 MW at this hour.
In Havana, on Tuesday, the electricity service was disrupted for 12 hours and 14 minutes, with a peak outage of 213 MW at 6:20 PM.
"The service was restored at 9:16 PM, so there was NO impact from the generation deficit during the early morning," detailed the Electric Company of the province on Facebook.
At the national level, even the recent addition of 30 photovoltaic solar parks, which produced 1,912 MWh and delivered a maximum of 358 MW, is insufficient to meet the country’s basic needs, highlighting that energy diversification has not yet managed to compensate for the decline of the centralized system.
The situation makes it clear that the electric crisis is not a result of isolated events, but rather years of neglect and inadequate energy policies that have weakened the country's ability to meet increasing demands and natural phenomena.
For millions of Cubans, power outages continue to be a harsh daily reality that limits domestic, educational, and work life, with no clear prospects for an immediate solution.
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