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The Ministry of Energy and Mines (Minem) reported on Saturday that Unit 1 of the Santa Cruz del Norte thermoelectric power plant, located in the province of Mayabeque, has been synchronized to the western microsystem, marking a new step in the slow recovery process of the National Electroenergy System (SEN) following the fourth total blackout of the year.
Through its profile on X, the Minem specified that the Antonio Guiteras Power Plant, in Matanzas, and Unit 3 of the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Power Plant, in Cienfuegos, were in the process of starting up.
The collapse that triggered this recovery occurred on Friday, July 10, at 3:55 PM, when a failure in the 220 kV transmission line between Santa Clara and Sancti Spíritus sparked a cascading disconnection that left nearly 10 million people without electricity in just 35 minutes.
The system operated under extremely precarious conditions, with only 935 MW available against a demand of 3,100 MW, and 11 out of the 16 thermoelectric units in the country out of service.
This was the eighth total collapse of the SEN in approximately 24 months and the fourth so far in 2026, occurring just four days after the third total blackout on July 6.
The recovery of the western microsystem is particularly complex, as during the early hours of Saturday, a new collapse in voltage occurred in that area, which forced a restart of the protocol from scratch.
Félix Estrada Rodríguez, director of the National Cargo Office, who personally oversaw the operations, detailed the progress: "In the west, we have already incorporated all the units from Energás Jaruco, the combined cycle, the 150-megawatt machine is in the startup process, as well as unit number 1 from Santa Cruz and unit number 5 from Mariel."
Estrada also highlighted the role of the battery energy storage system in Cotorro, Havana. "It is once again involved in the restoration of the system in the western region. This storage system is in Cotorro and provides stability to the operation of the system," he stated.
In the central-east region, unit 6 of the CTE Nuevitas synchronized with 55 MW, and the SEN has been interconnected from Santa Clara to Holguín, the Electric Union announced a few hours earlier.
The director of the National Cargo Office warned that recovery is progressing under severe fuel restrictions: "Even with the limitations we have regarding fuel, we need to create some hubs in the provinces to support hospitals and water pumping stations."
The Santa Cruz del Norte thermoelectric plant has a total installed capacity of 480 MW in its complex, with a nominal capacity of approximately 100 MW per unit.
On July 8, the largest energy deficit in Cuba's history was recorded, with a deficit of 2,341 MW that simultaneously affected 73% of the population.
Experts estimate that modernizing Cuba's electrical infrastructure would require between 8 billion and 10 billion dollars, a figure that is unattainable for a regime that has not invested in capital maintenance of its power plants for decades.
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