On Sunday, Cuba's energy crisis reached new heights as the nation endured a full day of power outages, with figures nearing unprecedented levels. According to the official report from the Electric Union (UNE), power disruptions persisted throughout the day and extended into the early hours of Monday.
The highest impact from generation shortfall was recorded at 1,799 megawatts (MW) at 8:30 PM on Sunday, although it didn't coincide with the peak demand. This number significantly surpassed the initial forecast of 1,675 MW in projected disruptions as stated by the state-run company.
This morning at 6:00 AM, the National Electric System (SEN) had a mere 1,760 MW available against a demand of 3,210 MW, resulting in an immediate shortfall of 1,538 MW. The noon forecast predicts a disruption of 1,340 MW.
Unprecedented Challenges in Power Supply
The situation is expected to worsen during peak hours, with UNE projecting a shortfall of 1,792 MW and disruptions reaching up to 1,862 MW, one of the highest in recent weeks. This highlights the system's inability to meet the country's basic consumption needs.
The underlying causes are numerous and deeply rooted. Reports indicate malfunctions in unit 6 of the Mariel Thermal Power Plant, unit 2 at Felton, and unit 5 at Diez de Octubre. Additionally, maintenance continues on plants in Santa Cruz, Céspedes (Cienfuegos), and Renté. Thermal limitations have also sidelined 393 MW.
Fuel shortages are rendering 61 distributed generation plants inoperative, leading to a combined loss of 485 MW, alongside the 89 MW from the Regla power barges, bringing the total affected by this issue to 574 MW.
Efforts to Mitigate the Crisis
Though partial integration of seven engines in Regla (48 MW) and full operation of Energás Boca de Jaruco (100 MW) are anticipated, these measures fall short of reversing an electrical crisis that continues to escalate as August begins.
Simultaneously, Havana experienced another widespread blackout, impacting numerous districts from Sunday night. The Electric Company and the Ministry of Energy and Mines confirmed that a fault at the Naranjito substation triggered a chain reaction affecting other substations like Príncipe, Melones, and Tallapiedra. This left areas such as Arroyo Naranjo, Diez de Octubre, Plaza, Cerro, Centro Habana, Playa, La Lisa, and others without power.
The incident also affected the national SEN, leading to outages at Mariel 6, Energás, and Moa engines. Although recovery started gradually overnight, the scale of the event and its recurrence — following another city-wide blackout on July 17 — underscores the severe fragility of Cuba's power grid.
Understanding Cuba's Energy Crisis
What caused the recent massive blackout in Havana?
The blackout was triggered by a fault at the Naranjito substation, which caused a domino effect impacting several other substations across Havana.
How severe is the current energy crisis in Cuba?
Cuba's energy crisis is severe, with power outages lasting 24 hours and shortfalls reaching record levels, significantly affecting the nation's power grid stability.
What are the main causes of Cuba's energy crisis?
The crisis is due to a combination of structural issues, equipment malfunctions, maintenance needs, and significant fuel shortages impacting power generation capacity.