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The National Electric System (SEN) of Cuba remains in crisis, with widespread impacts across the country exceeding 1,700 megawatts (MW) during peak hours on November 19, 2025, according to the (UNE) in its daily report.
According to the official statement, the availability of the SEN at six in the morning was just 1,325 MW, compared to a demand of 2,404 MW, resulting in a shortfall of 1,082 MW due to capacity generation deficits.
During the midday hours, the impact will increase to 1,100 MW, and during peak hours—when demand could reach 3,080 MW—they expect a deficit of 1,705 MW, with an estimated impact of 1,775 MW.
Breakdowns and plants out of service
Currently, they are out of service:
- Unit 2 of the Felton thermoelectric plant (Holguín),
- Unit 1 of the CTE Santa Cruz (Mayabeque),
- And units 3, 5, and 6 of CTE Renté (Santiago de Cuba).
Meanwhile, unit 2 of Santa Cruz and unit 4 of the CTE in Cienfuegos remain under maintenance. The UNE also reports limitations in thermal generation amounting to 470 MW.
In addition to the lack of thermal capacity, there is a fuel crisis: 91 distributed generation plants are out of service, representing a reduction of 731 MW, along with 96 MW from the Mariel Fuel Oil plant and 80 MW unavailable due to a lack of lubricant. In total, 907 MW are offline due to a fuel deficit.
Blackouts across the country
The report confirms that throughout the entire previous day, there were disruptions lasting 24 continuous hours, with a peak of 1,747 MW at 6:00 p.m.
In the province of Granma, an additional 57 MW were affected due to low voltage and high transfers.
In Havana, the reported that the service was interrupted for 22 hours, with a peak impact of 337 MW at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, and that it was not possible to restore the service. Even 100 MW of emergency power from non-interruptible circuits had to be disconnected due to the low availability of the SEN.
At the close of the report from the capital, blocks 2, 4, 5, and 6 remained affected, with 172 MW out of service.
Solar parks and recovery after Hurricane Melissa
Despite the crisis, the UNE highlighted that the 31 new photovoltaic solar parks in the country contributed 1,659 MWh on Tuesday, with a peak power of 392 MW during midday hours.
Meanwhile, the Cuban government reported slight progress in the restoration of electricity in the eastern part of the country following Hurricane Melissa, with the following levels of recovery:
- Holguín: 93.54%
- Granma: 96.25%
- Guantánamo: 99.05%
- Santiago de Cuba: 60.07%
The national energy crisis is severe. Most thermoelectric plants are out of service or lack fuel, with insufficient support from renewable sources. Cubans are facing prolonged blackouts in almost the entire country.
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