The Electric Union (UNE) reported this Tuesday that a new collapse of the National Electric System (SEN) was caused by the shutdown of Unit 1 of the Felton thermoelectric plant, located in Holguín.
According to UNE, the disconnection of that unit caused "an oscillation in the system parameters with a sudden change in frequency, which led to the exit of the SEN."
Authorities indicated that efforts are underway to supply energy to the thermoelectric plants in the western part of the country, a crucial step for the gradual recovery of the system.
The blackout this Tuesday is the fifth total blackout that Cuba has experienced in 2026, and it occurs just four days after the one that took place on July 10, when the SEN disconnected with a record deficit of 2,341 MW and a supply of only 935 MW against a demand of 3,100 MW.
Unit 1 of Felton has a long history of failures that make it one of the weakest points in the Cuban electric system.
In May, it left the SEN just 2.5 hours after reconnecting, and in June it was offline for 24 hours before reconnecting with 180 MW.
Similarly, in November 2025, it was taken out of service due to high temperature in the bearing, and in September of that same year, its failure contributed to continuous blackouts of 20 hours in several provinces.
The pattern repeats with every collapse: the sudden departure of a high-capacity unit causes a sharp frequency shift that the system, operating with minimal margins, cannot absorb, triggering a cascading disconnection.
The SEN had already experienced a total blackout on July 6 due to the shutdown of Unit 6 at the Nuevitas thermoelectric plant, leaving approximately 9.6 million people without electricity.
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