Power Company Warns of Up to 18-Hour Blackouts in Santiago de Cuba

The head of the Santiago de Cuba Electric Company, Lester Cedeño, has confirmed that power outages in the region can last up to 18 hours per day. This dire situation is attributed to a combination of the nationwide electricity generation shortfall and the destruction caused by the recent Tropical Storm Imelda.

In an interview with the local television channel Tele Turquino, Cedeño described how the central municipality is the hardest hit. A total of 41 power lines are down, impacting 25 neighborhoods and 156 homes, while 20 work crews are striving to restore service across various localities. The situation is further exacerbated by the fact that all three units of the Renté thermoelectric plant are currently offline.

"The outages are ranging from 14 to 18 hours due to these issues," Cedeño acknowledged, adding that power interruptions of about 1,900 MW are expected during peak evening hours. He also noted the lack of defined outage blocks, meaning nearly all circuits, even those deemed "essential," are experiencing cuts.

"We are attempting to provide as much service time as possible with the loads allowed by the national distribution," Cedeño stated.

The electrical crisis in Santiago de Cuba is just part of a broader pattern of prolonged blackouts affecting the country. In several provinces, daily interruptions extend over 12 hours, sparking protests, economic losses, and growing social unrest.

The nation woke up Saturday facing a severe energy crisis, following a day marked by widespread outages and generation deficits in the National Electric System (SEN), hovering around 1,900 megawatts (MW). In response, the Ministry of Energy and Mines (Minem) announced emergency measures in collaboration with the Electric Union (UNE) and the Cuba-Petroleum Union (Cupet) to tackle the challenging situation. This is the result of technical failures, low fuel availability, and breakdowns in various thermoelectric plants.

During a national television interview, Minister Vicente de la O Levy admitted that recent disruptions were worse than anticipated due to unexpected events that nearly led the SEN to collapse. He explained that three generation plants simultaneously went offline, causing an immediate loss of over 270 MW amid already low availability.

"We were on the brink of the system failing again. Immediate and strict actions were taken to maintain stability, but it was a very tense night," the minister expressed on Friday, detailing that the issue occurred around 10:30 PM, affecting the recovery of scheduled blocks for electrical service.

In the same interview, the minister conceded that the fuel supply is insufficient for the entire month of October, with reserves lasting only a few days. This mirrors the government's 2023 admission of an "emergency situation" due to fuel shortages.

In September of that year, De la O Levy acknowledged that the country had reached "zero fuel," with almost completely depleted reserves affecting both power generation and transportation.

Amid this crisis, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) Miguel Díaz-Canel led an extraordinary meeting in Havana with ministers, military leaders, and senior officials of the Political Bureau, in response to recent protests and demonstrations in the capital. The government announced the creation of task forces involving local authorities and mass organizations to "directly address" community demands.

However, Díaz-Canel also increased the presence of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) and the Ministry of the Interior (Minint) to reinforce military control over the crisis.