Cuba experienced its sixth total collapse of the National Electroenergetic System (SEN) this Sunday in 2026, when the Electric Union (UNE) confirmed on its Facebook page that a total disconnection of the country's electrical grid occurred at 10:43 PM.
The announcement from the state entity was brief: "A total disconnection of the National Electroenergetic System has occurred. We will continue to provide updates," the UNE stated, offering no details on the immediate causes of the collapse.
The total blackout did not come as a surprise. The complete collapse follows after a disconnection occurred in the western region of Cuba on Saturday, which left several provinces without electric service, from Pinar del Río to Matanzas.
The deterioration had been accumulating throughout the week. On July 31, the impact had reached 2,042 MW, and on July 29, the UNE projected a record deficit of 2,380 MW, with only 850 MW available against a demand of 3,200 MW.
After the partial reconnection in the western part of the country, the UNE anticipated a shortfall of 2,195 MW with only 1,035 MW available against a demand of 3,200 MW, indicating that prolonged blackouts will continue to affect the Cuban population in the coming hours.
This collapse marks at least the sixth total blackout of the SEN recorded in 2026. The first occurred on March 16, lasting 29 hours and 29 minutes, the longest in the current cycle. This was followed by another on March 21, just five days later; and then three successive blackouts in July: the sixth, after the shutdown of Unit 6 in Nuevitas; on the 10th; and on July 14, attributed to the unexpected shutdown of Unit 1 in Felton, Holguín.
The electrical crisis that Cuba is experiencing is due to structural causes that have accumulated over decades: the obsolescence of the thermal power plants, recurrent breakdowns due to a lack of proper maintenance, and the chronic shortage of fuel that halts a significant portion of distributed generation.
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