Oscillation causes the seventh disconnection of the Cuban electrical system

Street of Havana (Reference image)Photo © CiberCuba

Cuba suffered a new and seventh total disconnection of the National Electric System (SEN) on Monday when a frequency fluctuation undermined the progress that the system had achieved during the day, according to official information.

"A new disconnection of the National Electric System occurred a few minutes ago. Despite the progress made today, a fluctuation caused the failure. We will provide more details later,” explained the official journalist Lázaro Manuel Alonso.

The collapse occurred hours after the sixth total blackout recorded this Sunday at 10:43 PM, confirmed by the Electric Union (UNE).

The system had not yet finished recovering from that blow when it fell again this Monday, marking the seventh drop so far this year.

The recovery prior to this fluctuation was only partial and fragile. Havana woke up with only 14% of the electrical supply: 87,480 clients and 78.51 MW, with 12 substations and 29 energized circuits, prioritizing 19 hospitals and two water pumps.

In that context of minimal recovery, the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant has begun a cold start at 10:17 in the morning, with the expectation of synchronizing with the SEN by nightfall.

The plant, located in Matanzas and considered the largest unit block of the Cuban electrical system, has accumulated at least 17 unplanned outages in 2026 and has not received major maintenance since 2010.

On the other hand, the Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba S.A announced this Monday disruptions to the national cellular phone service due to the breakdown of the generator that provides electrical backup to one of the main centers supporting the country's mobile network.

According to the information note published on Facebook by the state telecommunications company, the affected numbers are those that begin with the prefixes 52, 509, 598, and 599.

With this new disconnection from the national electricity grid, millions of Cubans will once again be or will continue to be completely in the dark, with no hope of receiving even two hours of service, while the restoration of the system—which was already progressing slowly—will now face an even greater delay.

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CiberCuba Editorial Team

A team of journalists committed to reporting on Cuban current affairs and topics of global interest. At CiberCuba, we work to deliver truthful news and critical analysis.

CiberCuba Editorial Team

A team of journalists committed to reporting on Cuban current affairs and topics of global interest. At CiberCuba, we work to deliver truthful news and critical analysis.