
The National Electric System (SEN) of Cuba is facing another day of widespread blackouts this Thursday, with a forecasted impact of 2,305 MW during peak nighttime hours, according to the official report from the Electric Union.
On Wednesday, the electrical service was compromised for 24 hours. The most significant impact recorded was 2,303 MW at 10:50 PM, a figure that reflects the depth of a crisis that shows no signs of easing.
The Electric Union projects a night peak this Thursday of only 975 MW against a forecasted maximum demand of 3,250 MW, resulting in a generation deficit of 2,305 MW, which will lead to prolonged outages throughout the country.
Four thermal power units are out of service: unit 6 at the Máximo Gómez power plant (Mariel), unit 4 at Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, unit 3 at Antonio Maceo, and unit 2 at Lidio Ramón Pérez in Felton.
Three other units are under maintenance: unit 3 of Ernesto Guevara De La Serna (Santa Cruz), units 5 and 6 of Antonio Maceo (Renté), and unit 5 of Diez de Octubre, in Nuevitas.
This situation is compounded by the fact that 106 distributed generation plants are out of service due to a lack of fuel, along with the Patana de Regla, the Patana de Melones, the Central Fuel de Mariel, and the Central Fuel de Moa.
Solar energy provides some relief during daylight hours. The country's 54 photovoltaic parks generated 4,604 MW/hour on Wednesday, with a peak capacity of 716 MW. However, this capacity does not address the nighttime deficit because Cuba lacks large-scale storage systems.
The current crisis is set against a backdrop of sustained negative records throughout 2026. On Tuesday, the largest historical impact on the SEN was recorded: 2,411 MW at 10:30 PM, surpassing the previous record of 2,380 MW set on July 29.
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