The Electric Union (UNE) published this Friday province-specific updates on the progress of the restoration of electricity following the eighth total disconnection of the National Electroenergetic System (SEN) that occurred before 2:00 PM in 2026.
The collapse, triggered by the successive failure of two high-voltage lines originating in Matanzas —the 220 kV Matanzas-Cienfuegos and Matanzas-Santa Clara lines— left the entire country without electricity in a matter of minutes.
The recovery progressed gradually through generation microsystems that prioritized hospitals, water pumping, and telecommunications.
Havana: only 7.4% of customers with service
The situation in the capital is critical. According to the Electric Company of Havana, only 11 out of 26 substations were operational at the time of the report, with 21 distribution circuits active out of a total of 286.
This translates to just 63,581 customers with electricity out of the 862,732 in the city, a restoration of 7.4%.
Out of the 45 hospitals in the capital, only 17 had service. Only one pumping system was operational among the 18 main boosters and supply sources.
Matanzas: microsystems from the Guanábana battery
The Electric Company of Matanzas reported that, through an island created with the Guanábana battery, it was able to supply power to two circuits: MI 1325, which covers Chirimoya and the Faustino Pérez Provincial Hospital, and MI 1328, which serves Los Molinos, the EIDE, the Frying Station, and ECIL.
"From the Provincial Load Office, work is being carried out tirelessly to restore the electrical service in the province," stated the provincial company in its post.
Las Tunas: health service starting at 7:17 PM
In Las Tunas, the provincial electric company reported that at 19:17 the power was restored to the Health Combined Facility and to the part of circuit TK10 that supplies the Provincial Load Dispatch, also through a generation microsystem.
Holguín: micro islands for vital goals
The Electric Company of Holguín reported that it was maintaining service through micro islands at the following locations: Circuit 12, which covers the Military Hospital, the Pediatric Hospital, and the Surgical Clinical; Circuit 20, which serves Lenin Hospital, ETECSA, and the electric company itself; Circuit Alcides Pino, designated for Communications; Circuit 18, for Guirabo Pumping; and Line 4360, corresponding to the Industrial Zone.
"In these moments, we have electrical service through micro-islands for vital objectives," specified the company in its update.
Unit 2 of the CTE Ernesto Guevara de la Serna is now online
As part of the recovery process, the UNE confirmed that Unit 2 of the Ernesto Guevara de la Serna thermoelectric power plant, located in Santa Cruz del Norte, Mayabeque, has begun operations, which contributes to the gradual restoration effort of the system.
This is the eighth time in 2026 that the SEN has completely collapsed: two failures in March, three in July, two in August, and the one on Friday.
The previous recoveries reveal a grim pattern: after the fifth outage, Havana was at only 4% service in the early hours; after the sixth, it reached merely 14% the following day. The UNE did not specify a timeline for complete restoration.
The collapse this Friday occurred when the system was already operating at its limit. The power outage report for this Friday indicated only 1,113 MW of generation available against a forecasted demand of 3,210 MW, with a maximum impact projected at 2,007 MW.
Before the total collapse, Havana had accumulated 358 MW affected and 117 circuits with interruptions, while Villa Clara recorded 142 circuits out of service and a deficit of 204 MW.
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