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A fire in the boiler of Unit 6 at the Diez de Octubre Thermoelectric Power Plant in Nuevitas has knocked one of the most important plants in the Cuban energy system out of service, worsening the electricity deficit, which exceeds 2,000 megawatts (MW) this Sunday.
The Electric Union (UNE) confirmed the incident at 8:26 PM on Saturday, indicating that the unit was taken offline in "emergency free passage" after a fire was detected in the boiler. "60.5 MW were affected due to demand associated with failures (DAF), which are being restored," specified the .
The incident occurs in the context of a widespread energy collapse. In its morning report, the UNE had warned that the National Electric System (SEN) was experiencing another critical day, with a peak estimated deficit of 1,942 MW and a forecast of outages of up to 2,012 MW, equivalent to more than 60% of the country without electricity.
The Nuevitas plant had already experienced recurring breakdowns in previous weeks and was operating in an unstable manner. With this new fire, the country's energy situation becomes even more precarious, as other key thermal power plants—such as Felton, Renté, and Cienfuegos—are also reporting failures or extended maintenance.
So far this year, several fires have been reported at Cuban thermoelectric plants, including serious incidents in Cienfuegos, Renté, and Guiteras in Matanzas, all of which are linked to structural deterioration, lack of maintenance, and shortages of spare parts.
The regime has attempted to justify the impacts with the argument of "fuel shortages," but the underlying causes point to outdated infrastructure, poor management, and a system on the brink of technical collapse.
Meanwhile, millions of Cubans continue to face daily blackouts, water cuts, and failures in basic services, with no prospects for a real solution. The fire in Diez de Octubre symbolizes—once again—the ruinous state of the Cuban electrical system, which continues to plunge the country into darkness.
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