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The energy crisis in Cuba continues to deepen as the government once again acknowledges a state of electrical collapse that affects the population day and night.
The Electric Union (UNE) reported that on Saturday the country experienced power outages lasting 24 hours, highlighting a structural incapacity of the system to provide a basic service that should support homes, hospitals, production centers, and schools.
According to the official report, the highest impact from the previous day reached 1733 MW at 7:00 PM, which demonstrates a demand that the electrical system is not even close to being able to meet.
This Sunday, the National Electric System (SEN) started the day with only 1505 MW available against a demand of 2214 MW, leaving 721 MW of consumers without electricity from the early hours.
By noon, an impact of 850 MW is expected.
The crisis is intensifying because the thermal generation - a fundamental pillar of the system - is collapsing.
Five key units are out of service, some due to breakdowns and others for maintenance that seems to be extending indefinitely: unit 2 of the Felton thermoelectric plant and units 3 and 6 of Renté remain damaged, while Santa Cruz (unit 2) and Cienfuegos (unit 4) are undergoing maintenance.
While the state discusses "scheduled interventions," the reality is that the lack of parts, investment, and renewal plans has forced these plants to operate under extreme conditions until they eventually cease to function.
But the greatest sign of governmental neglect is in the distributed generation sector. 97 plants are out of service due to a lack of fuel, and another 66 MW are unavailable due to a lack of lubricants, resulting in a total of 866 MW out of circulation.
In a country that allocates resources to hotels and mega tourism projects, the inability to ensure lubricant for powering essential generators is a direct reflection of state priorities that do not favor the population.
The UNE stated that for peak hours, unit 1 of Energas Varadero would be brought online with only 30 MW, a negligible figure compared to the expected nighttime demand of 3200 MW.
With that total capacity, a peak hour availability of 1535 MW is forecasted, compared to a maximum demand of 3200 MW, resulting in a significant deficit of 1665 MW.
It is expected that the impact will reach 1,735 MW, which is almost equivalent to the average consumption of the country during several hours each day.
Finally, although the UNE highlighted that the 32 new photovoltaic solar parks generated 2,479 MWh, that figure, presented as a technical endorsement of the "state investment," barely alleviates the outlook.
Havana is not exempt from the crisis
The collapse in Havana, often prioritized over the rest of the country, is another sign of the chaos: the Electricity Company of the capital reported that the province experienced outages for 10 hours and 41 minutes, with a maximum impact of 164 MW at 7:00 PM.
The service was only restored after 10:50 PM.
Although the statement highlights as a positive that there were no power outages during the early morning hours, the normalization of the disaster is already being presented as a communication strategy: it is applauded that, at least while most people are sleeping, there was electricity.
The electrical crisis in Cuba is not the result of an extraordinary climatic phenomenon or an unexpected event: it is the outcome of decades of neglect, lack of investment, poor state management, and dependence on oil without any real planning for modernization.
While the government continues to blame external factors, the thermoelectric plants are shutting down due to wear, the generators are being paralyzed by a lack of fuel, and the people remain in the dark, bearing the burden of a system that is incapable of sustaining itself.
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