Havana Electric Company Reports Progress on Power Restoration Following Widespread Outage

The Havana Electric Company (EELH) announced on Tuesday that it has restored electricity to 131 distribution circuits in the capital, providing power to 396,447 customers and reaching 269.6 MW, which accounts for merely 46% of the city after the complete collapse of the National Electric System (SEN) that occurred on Monday afternoon.

The EELH's official statement cautions that the restoration is progressing "gradually as the conditions of the SEN allow," without specifying any timeline for full recovery.

The Seventh Nationwide Outage in 18 Months

The collapse on Monday marks the seventh total blackout of the SEN in the past 18 months and the third in 2026, as confirmed by the Electric Union. The immediate technical cause was the shutdown of Unit No. 6 at the Nuevitas thermoelectric plant in Camagüey, triggering a cascading disconnection. On that day, the system had only 1,000 MW available compared to a demand of 3,100 MW.

Félix Estrada Rodríguez, Director of the National Load Dispatch, confirmed that the restoration efforts began in Jaruco, Artemisa, with support from the Energy Storage System, and extended to form an interconnected corridor from Mariel to Sancti Spíritus. "Today, the most important task is to get the Céspedes units running to ensure continued system recovery," stated the official.

The Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, announced on social media platform X that the priority is to reach the eastern region: "With the electric system linked from Havana to Sancti Spíritus and the startup of the CTE 'Céspedes' units underway, our goal is to reach Felton and keep moving forward."

Havana: Partial Recovery Amid Widespread Darkness

While the EELH presents figures of progress, the reality in Havana's neighborhoods tells a different story. Residents from various municipalities report areas enduring over 40 consecutive hours without electricity, coupled with days without access to potable water.

"Guanabo has been without power for 41 hours and without water for a week. How much longer will this abuse continue?" lamented a resident in the comments of the official statement. From La Lisa, another resident described the area as a ghost town: "La Lisa is a phantom municipality, days without light and water."

Complaints also highlight a perceived arbitrary distribution. "The UNE provides electricity to whoever they want," wrote one citizen, while another summed up the situation with bitterness: "It's an eternal blackout, before the SEN, with the SEN, and without SEN." There are also reports of service being restored and then inexplicably removed.

Structural Crisis with No Solution in Sight

The backdrop of this emergency is not temporary. Cuba has been without oil shipments for over three months, and 106 distributed generation plants remain inactive due to a lack of diesel, representing 890 MW unavailable. The CTE Antonio Guiteras has experienced 17 system shutdowns so far in 2026 and has not undergone major maintenance since 2010.

This crisis has exhausted the patience of citizens. Since July 1, banging pots and protests have erupted in multiple Havana municipalities such as El Cerro, La Lisa, Regla, and Marianao, met with police operations and internet blackouts.

The EELH indicated that citizens can reach out via the Telephone Assistance Center (18888) or the Command Post set up for the emergency, using the numbers 76463282 to 76463286. However, the regime has not provided recovery timelines or structural solutions, while its own citizens plainly state: "We are completely abandoned, not even water is available."