After the electrical collapse, blackouts in Cuba remain unchanged

Blackouts continue to heavily impact Cuba just hours after the regime announced the restoration of the National Electric System (SEN) following a total collapse that left the country without service for nearly 30 hours.

According to the latest official update from Unión Eléctrica (UNE), dated March 18, 2026, the energy situation remains critical, with a significant deficit that keeps power outages affecting large parts of the country.

During the daytime, availability is only 1,046 megawatts (MW) compared to a demand of 2,000 MW, resulting in a shortfall of 965 MW. For the peak nighttime hours, the situation worsens: a demand of 3,000 MW is anticipated, while availability is only 1,166 MW, leading to a deficit of 1,834 MW and potential impacts that could reach 1,864 MW.

The UNE also reported that key units are in the process of being started up, such as unit number 8 of the Mariel thermal power plant (40 MW) and unit 2 of the Santa Cruz CTE (80 MW), which highlights that the system has not yet managed to stabilize following the crisis.

The system was reconnected after almost 30 hours of national blackout, a process that was carried out slowly and in stages due to limitations in generation and fuel shortages, factors that continue to affect the restoration of electricity service on the island.

During the blackout, which began on Monday at 1:40 PM, there were serious disruptions to basic services and the internet. Authorities acknowledged that there remains a significant deficit in generation, with several thermal power plants still out of service or in the process of restarting.

Amid this crisis, the population continues to face long power outages, in a context marked by fuel shortages, the deterioration of thermoelectric plants, and the lack of structural solutions from the regime.

The reality behind the collapse confirms what many Cubans already feared: the restoration of the system does not mean the end of blackouts, but rather the continuation of an energy crisis that continues to hit the island hard.