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Cuba reached its largest electric generation deficit in history on July 8, with a maximum impact of 2,341 MW during nighttime hours, according to the informative report published by the Electric Union (UNE) this Thursday.
The figure left approximately 73% of the country without electricity simultaneously and exceeded all previous records recorded in the past months.
The new historical maximum was preceded by high deficits over several consecutive days: on July 3rd, the deficit had reached 2,206 MW following the 17th outage of the year at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant; on July 5th, a forecast of 2,230 MW was made, and the following day, the figures climbed to 2,245 MW. Each number exceeded that of the previous day in a relentless chain of collapses.
For this Thursday, the UNE predicts another critical day.
According to the statement from the state-owned company on Facebook, the estimated shortfall is 1,650 MW at noon and 2,260 MW during peak nighttime hours, with a generation capacity of only 935 MW against a projected maximum demand of 3,100 MW.
The immediate context exacerbates the situation. On July 6, Cuba experienced its third total blackout of the year and the seventh in 18 months, when the unexpected shutdown of unit No. 6 at the Nuevitas thermoelectric plant in Camagüey left approximately 9.6 million people without power at 12:17 PM.
The UNE technically reconnected the National Electroenergetic System (SEN) early Wednesday morning at 1:10 AM, but the structural deficit continued to exceed 2,000 MW.
The UNE report on Monday detailed the extent of the disaster: six thermoelectric units out of service at the Máximo Gómez, Ernesto Guevara, Antonio Guiteras, Diez de Octubre, and Lidio Ramón Pérez plants, along with 106 distributed generation plants halted due to a lack of fuel, representing an additional 890 MW of unavailable capacity.
The 54 photovoltaic solar parks in the country generated 4,240 MW/hour that day with a maximum capacity of 792 MW, but this contribution is insufficient to compensate for the colossal nighttime deficit. The regime touts solar panels as a solution, although experts warn that without a profound reform of the thermoelectric grid the blackouts will not be resolved.
The rise is staggering when compared to historical records: in the summer of 2024, deficit peaks fluctuated between 1,500 and 1,900 MW; in May of this year, a record was set at 2,174 MW; in June it reached 2,208 MW; and now July marks 2,341 MW in just a few weeks.
The causes are structural: thermoelectric plants that have been in operation for over 40 years without capital maintenance— the Antonio Guiteras plant, the most powerful in the country, has not received comprehensive repairs since 2010—critical fuel shortages, and a backlog of breakdowns that the regime has been unable to reverse.
It is estimated that Cubans have lived without electricity for over 44,300 hours since the beginning of the current crisis.
The "Guiteras," which contributes nearly 10% of the power of the National Electric System (SEN), was scheduled to synchronize with the grid this Thursday after its 17th outage of the year, although its history of repeated breakdowns offers little assurance of stability.
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