The Cuban Electric Company (UNE) attributed the latest complete blackout of the National Electroenergetic System (SEN) to adverse weather conditions on Monday. This outage occurred while the nation was still grappling with its sixth widespread power failure of the year, which happened on Sunday.
The state-run company released a statement on its official Facebook page, saying, "During the process of restoring the SEN, prevailing weather events caused disruptions to the network, directly impacting the generating units that were online. We are continuing to work diligently to reverse this situation and restore the system as quickly as possible."
Shortly before the official statement, government-affiliated journalist Lázaro Manuel Alonso hinted at the development by reporting, "Just moments ago, a new disconnection of the National Electric System occurred. Despite today's progress, an oscillation caused the system to crash."
The breakdown happened when the recovery of the system was still partial and very fragile. On Monday morning, Havana woke up with only 14% of its electricity supply restored: 87,480 customers and 78.51 MW, with 12 substations and 29 circuits energized, prioritizing 19 hospitals and two water pumps.
This recent outage comes merely hours after the sixth total blackout recorded on Sunday at 10:43 PM, which was also confirmed by UNE.
Impact on Telecommunications and Further Delays
Amid this minimal recovery, the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant—Cuba's largest facility, located in Matanzas—had begun a cold start at 10:17 AM, aiming to synchronize with the SEN by nightfall.
The electrical crisis is also affecting telecommunications. The Cuban Telecommunications Company (ETECSA) announced nationwide disruptions to mobile phone services on Monday due to the failure of the generator supporting one of its main centers, impacting prefixes 52, 509, 598, and 599.
With this new disconnection, millions of Cubans will endure yet another night without electricity, and the already sluggish pace of SEN restoration faces further delays. The regime has not yet provided a concrete timeline for recovery.
Understanding the Cuban Electrical Crisis
What caused the latest blackout in Cuba?
The Cuban Electric Company attributed the latest blackout to adverse weather conditions that disrupted the National Electroenergetic System.
How are telecommunications affected by the electrical crisis?
The electrical crisis has disrupted mobile phone services nationwide, as the generator supporting one of ETECSA's main centers failed, affecting several prefixes.
What steps are being taken to restore the power system?
Efforts are underway to restore the system, including attempting a cold start at the Antonio Guiteras plant, with hopes of synchronizing with the national grid.