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Cuba began July 2026 engulfed in one of the worst electrical crises in its history. According to the informative note from the Electric Union published this Wednesday, on Tuesday the service was affected for 24 hours, with a maximum impact of 2,211 MW at 10:00 PM and affecting all provinces of the country.
The forecast for this Wednesday offers no relief: the expected availability is only 1,100 MW against a demand of 3,200 MW, resulting in an anticipated deficit of 2,100 MW and a forecasted impact of 2,130 MW.
Three thermal units remain out of service: Unit 6 of the Máximo Gómez Thermal Power Plant in Mariel, Unit 6 of the Diez de Octubre Thermal Power Plant in Nuevitas, and Unit 2 of the Lidio Ramón Pérez Thermal Power Plant in Felton.
Five other units are under maintenance: Máximo Gómez 5 in Mariel, Ernesto Guevara 3 in Santa Cruz, Antonio Maceo 5 and 6 in Renté, and Diez de Octubre 5 in Nuevitas.
This situation is compounded by the fact that 106 distributed generation plants are out of service due to a lack of fuel, along with the Regla and Melones Floating Stations and the Fuel Plants in Mariel and Moa.
In light of this situation, Canal Caribe reported that UNE announced the completion of scheduled maintenance at thermoelectric plants, which will allow for the restoration of around 400 MW during July.
The schedule anticipates the entry of six units: Mariel 5 with 60 MW in the coming days, Mariel 6 with 90 MW later in the month, Nuevitas 6 with 90 MW in the first half of the month, and Santa Cruz 3, Renté 5, and Renté 6 with 60 MW each in the second half.
The authorities themselves acknowledge that this recovery will not solve the problem. "The increase in energy will not meet the country's electricity demand, but it will help reduce the duration of outages during the summer months," reported Canal Caribe, citing the UNE.
The original plan was more ambitious: it was expected that four key units—Guiteras, Céspedes 3 and 4, and Felton 1—would provide 600 MW in July and August, but unforeseen breakdowns in Guiteras and Céspedes 4 shifted that schedule.
The Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, the largest in the country, is the focus of significant concerns. Its economizer has been in operation for 38 years and has caused frequent outages in the system. A specialist quoted by Canal Caribe explained the dilemma: "You might ask, well, why don't we replace it? Why not change it entirely? But changing it completely takes time, and we are on the verge of summer. It's true that this component is 38 years old, but we can't just say let's make it new, let's replace it, even if we have the resources."
The lack of fuel further worsens the situation. The same specialist admitted that "this energy blockade we have due to the lack of fuel, because we can't rely on fuel for distributed generation... has also forced us to delay maintenance and keep the units running perhaps a bit longer than originally planned."
In contrast, the 54 photovoltaic solar parks generated 5,148 MW/hour on Tuesday, with a maximum output of 858 MW, although they only operate during daylight hours.
The crisis accumulates alarming milestones in 2026: a total blackout of 29 hours on March 16, a record deficit of 2,174 MW on May 13, and a new record of 2,208 MW on June 25, with reports of blackouts lasting up to 85 consecutive hours in some areas of the country.
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