Cuban energy crisis worsens: Deficit of nearly 2,000 MW leaves more than half the country without power

Cuba awoke this Tuesday plunged into another day of widespread blackouts, with an electrical deficit that approached 2,000 MW on Monday and keeps more than half of the country without stable electricity supply.

According to the official statement issued this Tuesday by Unión Eléctrica (UNE), the service was impacted for 24 hours the previous day, reaching a maximum deficit of 2,007 MW at 6:40 PM, marking one of the highest peaks of the month.

The state-owned company acknowledged that the system continues to operate at its limit, with an availability of just 1,420 MW against a national demand of 2,350 MW, leaving 950 MW out of service, which means nearly 40% of the country without electricity since dawn.

For the noon period, a deficit of 1,100 MW is anticipated, despite the contribution from the 33 photovoltaic solar parks that the Cuban regime intends to use to stabilize the National Electric System (SEN) during hours of peak solar exposure.

The Cuban electrical system continues to face a combination of breakdowns, forced maintenance, and fuel shortages that further undermine its generation capacity.

Units 5 of the Máximo Gómez CTE, Unit 5 of Nuevitas, Units 5 and 6 of Antonio Maceo, and Unit 2 of Felton remain out of service due to malfunction, while four other units —in Mariel, Santa Cruz, and Cienfuegos— are halted for scheduled maintenance.

In addition, there are 398 MW of thermal limitations and 1,000 MW unavailable due to a lack of fuel and lubricants, a chronic problem that the government still has not resolved, despite its promise at the beginning of the year to recover 400 megawatts of distributed generation after signing an agreement with China.

In total, nearly 1,400 MW of the national generating capacity is inactive due to technical or logistical reasons.

For the peak nighttime hours, the UNE anticipates a availability of only 1,440 MW against an estimated demand of 3,350 MW, which will result in a deficit of 1,910 MW and an impact of up to 1,940 MW, according to the report itself.

With this information, the Cuban SEN has now accumulated 16 consecutive days in "permanent red", without any short-term improvement in sight. Each passing day confirms that the country is experiencing the worst electrical crisis of the year, and that electricity in Cuba has become an intermittent and frustrating luxury.