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The Cuban electrical system is on the brink of collapse, with uninterrupted outages over the past 24 hours and a deficit exceeding 2,000 megawatts (MW) during the peak hours on Sunday, according to a report from the Electric Union (UNE) this Monday.
The official statement from this Monday confirms that the service was disrupted throughout the previous day, reaching a peak impact of 2,005 MW at 6:20 p.m., a figure that exceeded forecasts due to higher than expected demand and the outage of units 3 and 6 at the Rente Thermoelectric Power Plant (CTE) in Santiago de Cuba.
At six in the morning this Monday, the national availability was just 1,223 MW compared to a demand of 2,220 MW, leaving over 1,000 MW uncovered.
For peak hours, the UNE anticipates a capacity of 1,293 MW against an estimated maximum demand of 3,250 MW, which would result in a national shortfall of 1,987 MW if system conditions do not improve.
The main incidents include breakdowns at the thermoelectric plants in Mariel, Nuevitas, Felton, Antonio Maceo, and Céspedes, as well as 450 MW offline due to thermal limitations. The lack of fuel continues to exacerbate the situation.
In Havana, the Provincial Electric Company reported that the capital experienced outages starting at 5:20 p.m. on Sunday, with a peak impact of 383 MW at 6:20 p.m., which could not be restored due to a system deficit.
At the end of their report, six blocks remained without service, with a total of 171 MW affected.
The company warned that if the availability of the SEN does not improve, it will not be possible to meet the reported schedule, and emergency blackouts may occur in different circuits.
Although the 49 installed photovoltaic solar parks contributed 649 MW at their peak, their impact remains insufficient given the magnitude of the collapse.
With outdated thermal plants and scarce fuel, Cuba faces its worst electrical crisis since the 1990s in January, experiencing power outages of up to 14 hours a day in several provinces.
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