According to the daily report released by the Cuban Electrical Union (UNE), a shortfall of 1,800 MW is expected this Friday, with a peak outage of 1,830 MW during nighttime hours, marking the highest figure recorded so far in 2026.
The official report indicates that at 6:00 a.m., the available generation capacity was 1,500 MW, whereas demand reached 1,950 MW, causing a 490 MW outage from the early morning hours. It is projected that by noon, the outage will rise to 700 MW. On the previous day, service remained consistently interrupted from 4:49 a.m., with a maximum outage of 1,771 MW at 6:20 p.m., as per the state-run company's official release.
The UNE disclosed that units 5 and 8 of the CTE Mariel, unit 5 of the CTE Nuevitas, and unit 2 of the CTE Felton are still out of operation due to breakdowns. Additionally, unit 2 of the CTE Santa Cruz and unit 4 of the CTE Carlos Manuel de Céspedes in Cienfuegos are undergoing maintenance. Limitations in thermal generation have led to 569 MW being out of service, while fuel shortages continue to impact 96 distributed generation plants, totaling 896 MW, along with 150 MW unavailable due to lack of lubricant, bringing the total unavailable capacity to 1,046 MW.
On Thursday, the nation's 34 photovoltaic solar parks contributed a production of 3,084 MWh, with a peak capacity of 629 MW around midday. However, their output is insufficient to offset the myriad of failures and the rising national electricity demand. This scenario confirms that power outages persist throughout the country, despite announcements of investments in renewable energy sources and system maintenance. With a shortfall exceeding 1,800 MW, millions of Cubans continue to face prolonged electricity service disruptions, with no signs of improvement in the short term.
In Havana, the Havana Electric Company reported that the previous day, the service was interrupted for 3 hours and 53 minutes, with a peak outage of 243 MW at 6:20 p.m., which was restored by 8:31 p.m. According to their statement, there were no interruptions in the early hours of Friday, and at the time of reporting, no outages due to deficits were present, though the company cautioned that interruptions "will depend on the demands of the National Electroenergetic System (SEN)."
The entity also released a schedule of outages for January 9 and the early hours of January 10, which includes planned cuts in different time blocks, spanning from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. the following day, alternating between blocks B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, and B1.
This Friday's forecast exacerbates the situation reported on Thursday, when power outages persisted in Cuba with an electrical deficit exceeding 1,600 MW, highlighting the structural fragility of the national energy system.
Understanding Cuba's Electricity Crisis
What is causing the electricity shortages in Cuba?
The shortages are primarily due to breakdowns in power units, maintenance issues, and a lack of necessary fuel and lubricants for distributed generation plants.
How are solar parks contributing to Cuba's energy needs?
While solar parks are providing some energy, their output is not sufficient to meet the overall demand, especially during peak hours and amidst widespread power unit failures.
What measures are being taken to address the power outages?
Plans for renewable energy investments and maintenance efforts have been announced, but significant improvements have yet to be realized due to ongoing challenges.