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The National Electric System (SEN) of Cuba is facing another critical day this Thursday: according to the informative note from the Electric Union, a shortfall of 2,056 MW is projected for the peak evening hours, with a mere availability of 1,014 MW against a maximum demand of 3,100 MW.
The estimated deficit for the night reaches 2,026 MW, which is equivalent to leaving approximately 66% of the country without electricity simultaneously.
The situation had already become serious by dawn: at 6:00 AM, the system recorded only 856 MW available against a demand of 2,650 MW, with 1,820 MW affected at that moment. By midday, the Electric Union estimated an impact of 1,550 MW.
Wednesday wasn't any better either.
The regime admitted that "the service was affected by a capacity deficit for 24 hours" and that "the maximum impact due to generation capacity deficit yesterday was 2,151 MW at 8:50 PM," with outages that extended throughout the early morning.
Behind the collapse, there are two structural causes that combine.
On one hand, outages in thermal generation are keeping units from the Máximo Gómez, Ernesto Guevara De La Serna, Antonio Guiteras, Diez de Octubre, and Lidio Ramón Pérez plants out of service, totaling 274 MW not being generated.
On the other hand, the fuel shortage has halted 106 distributed generation plants —890 MW— and rendered the Patana de Regla, the Patana de Melones, and the Fuel plants of Mariel and Moa inoperable, resulting in a total of 1,203 MW unavailable solely due to lack of fuel.
The only improvement expected for the night is the entry of Unit 1 of the Santa Cruz Thermoelectric Power Plant, with 60 MW, a negligible figure compared to a deficit that exceeds 2,000 MW.
The 54 photovoltaic solar parks installed by the government provided 4,859 MWh on Wednesday, with a maximum power output of 784 MW during daylight hours.
However, their contribution drops to zero during the nighttime peak, precisely when demand is highest.
This event is part of an energy crisis that set its historical record on May 14, 2026 with a deficit of 2,174 MW that left 70% of the country without electricity.
The SEN has experienced at least seven total collapses in 18 months, including the national blackout of March 16, 2026, the longest in recent Cuban history with 29 hours and 29 minutes without electricity nationwide.
The population has been enduring power outages of between twenty and twenty-two hours a day in Havana for months, while in inland provinces like Matanzas, residents have reported up to 85 consecutive hours without electricity.
The government had anticipated since December 2025 that 2026 would be a "difficult" year with continuous blackouts due to the irreversible deterioration of the system.
Last Monday, the Electric Union had already forecasted blackouts of 2,075 MW during peak hours, affecting 64% of the country, a sign that the crisis shows no signs of easing.
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