Related videos:
A failure at the Victoria de Girón Substation in Havana triggered a new crisis in the National Electric Power System (SEN) of Cuba this Friday. According to the Electric Union (UNE) on their Facebook page, the incident occurred at 20:08 hours and caused significant fluctuations in the system, with the sudden disconnection of the Renté 3 and Felton 1 units.
The state entity acknowledged that the SEN was left with "low generation capacity availability" and declared "high impact across the country." Felton managed to reconnect with only 50 MW while increasing loads, and ENERGAS units were added to the base generation, but the situation remained critical.
The most immediate impact was felt in Granma, which was completely disconnected from the National Electric System around 8:40 PM. The Electric Company of that province explained that the disconnection occurred because the Lidio Ramón Pérez (Felton) thermal power plant was synchronizing with the system when "there was a sudden drop in frequency, which led to the disconnection of the province of Granma to prevent the collapse of the National Electric System."
This new setback occurs in the worst energy context in recent Cuban history. The projected deficit for this Friday reached 2,206 MW, a record figure, with a generation capacity of only 944 MW against a demand of 3,150 MW. To exacerbate the situation, the CTE Antonio Guiteras had experienced its 17th shutdown of the year on the same day.
In addition, 106 distributed generation plants remain offline due to a lack of fuel, representing 890 MW of unavailable capacity. Unit 2 of the Felton TPP, with an installed capacity of 330 MW, had already been out of service since the day before the new incident.
Granma faces a particular punishment. On June 23, the area experienced a power outage due to a failure in the 110 kV transmission line between Renté and Santiago de Cuba. Some of its circuits have endured outages of up to 72 consecutive hours, and its residents are publicly demanding at least three hours of electricity per day.
In the last 18 months, the SEN has experienced at least five total outages. The longest one occurred on March 16, 2026, with a national blackout lasting 29 hours and 29 minutes. In May, the deficit reached 2,174 MW, leaving 70% of the island without power simultaneously. On February 4, a fault at the Holguín 220 kV substation left four eastern provinces without electricity in one go.
The citizens' reaction on social media combined exhaustion, irony, and indignation. One user summed up the collective sentiment: “It’s become normal that every weekend something happens with the SEN… and we’re just starting summer… may God have mercy on us.” Another pointed out the inequality of the system: “From my rooftop, I see Varadero lit up, it never goes dark, it operates like a gem, 24/7. Such things don't happen in the Olimpo.” A third voice anticipated the worst: “At this hour and with that message, they are warning us that we’re going to be days without power.”
The crisis is a result of decades of neglect of Cuba's thermoelectric plants, exacerbated by the suspension of Venezuelan oil shipments following the capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3. The UNE announced the reintegration of 400 MW through maintenance on six thermoelectric plants by July, but acknowledged that this figure will not meet national demand, while Cubans are facing the beginning of summer with blackouts that in some regions exceed 40 consecutive hours.
Filed under: