On Friday, Havana's Electric Company (EELH) shared the latest developments concerning the rehabilitation of the Apolo Substation, which suffered damage due to a lightning strike that resulted in a fire, cutting off power to large areas of Cuba's capital. The company communicated through Facebook that a specialized multidisciplinary team is working tirelessly to restore the damaged facility.
"We are making progress with the rehabilitation efforts. Currently, we are focused on reestablishing the plant's service to achieve direct current, which will allow us to test the entire protection and control scheme of the circuit breakers," stated the EELH.
Earlier, the company had elaborated that the lightning strike led to a fire at the substation, causing significant damage to several pieces of equipment and system components. "Efforts continue to gradually restore electrical service as quickly as possible, even with a minimal setup," the initial report noted.
The incident at Apolo is part of a series of failures that highlight the severe vulnerabilities of Havana's electrical infrastructure. On Thursday, a lightning-induced fault triggered outages at multiple high-voltage substations, including Naranjito, Apolo, Melones, San Agustín, Talla Piedra, and Príncipe, plunging much of the city into a near-total blackout for the second time in less than 24 hours.
Prior to this, state journalist Lázaro Manuel Alonso reported an earlier malfunction that occurred overnight on the 110 kV line from the Melones barge, resulting in the shutdown of that plant along with other critical infrastructures like Unit 5 of the Mariel thermoelectric plant, the Boca de Jaruco installation, and a unit of Energás Varadero. "In total, a sudden 400 MW was lost," the journalist emphasized.
This crisis only added to the generation deficit, which reached 1,947 MW at 8:20 pm during peak hours, according to the Electric Union. In response to the system's collapse, the province implemented a new block redistribution scheme aimed at balancing the load and reducing strain on overloaded transformers to "decrease the average duration of energy deficit-induced outages." "This strategy will ensure that at least one block remains unaffected for a day," the company announced in another statement.
For weeks, Havana has been enduring blackouts far longer than the official schedule suggests. At the end of June, the company itself confirmed that outages stretched up to 19 hours daily, despite the schedule estimating only eight. Hundreds of Havana residents express daily frustrations online about the service's instability, unexpected blackouts, and the authorities' inadequate responses.
For now, residents can only hope that the work on the Apolo substation concludes swiftly, restoring power to the affected municipalities before the weekend ends.
Understanding Havana's Electrical Challenges
What caused the blackout in Havana?
A lightning strike led to a fire at the Apolo Substation, causing extensive damage and resulting in widespread power outages across Havana.
How is the Electric Company addressing the issue?
The Electric Company has deployed a specialized team working continuously on repairing the Apolo Substation to restore services and prevent future outages.
What are the long-term solutions for Havana's electrical system?
Long-term solutions require modernizing the outdated infrastructure, improving maintenance protocols, and investing in more resilient systems to handle extreme weather events.