The Cuban Electric Union (UNE) has announced a grim forecast for Monday, predicting power outages affecting 2,020 MW during peak demand hours. With a meager availability of only 830 MW against an estimated demand of 2,820 MW, the National Electric System faces a deficit of 1,990 MW.
According to the official report released this morning, at 6:00 AM, 1,374 MW were already out of service with a demand of 2,203 MW. By midday, UNE anticipated outages to affect 1,550 MW, escalating to 2,020 MW during the evening peak.
Sunday offered no relief as power was unavailable for the entire day due to capacity shortages, including throughout the night. The actual maximum outage reached 1,961 MW at 7:10 PM.
The breakdown can be traced back to specific power plants. UNE's report for Monday indicates that units 5 and 8 of the Mariel Power Plant, units 1 and 2 of the Santa Cruz Power Plant, the unit at Antonio Guiteras Power Plant, unit 2 of the Felton Power Plant, and units 3 and 6 of the Renté Power Plant are all offline due to malfunctions. Additionally, three units are undergoing maintenance, along with thermal limitations totaling 270 MW.
The Antonio Guiteras Power Plant, Cuba’s largest thermal power facility located in Matanzas with a capacity of up to 316 MW, has experienced at least 17 unplanned outages in 2026. It has not received major maintenance since 2010 and has been in operation for over 38 years.
While technicians tally megawatts, Cubans count hours in darkness. In Matanzas, residents in Manuelito and Bolondrón faced nearly 70 hours without power by Sunday’s end, with circuits in Jagüey Grande exceeding 60 hours of outages. In Matanzas city’s Los Mangos neighborhood, a journalist reported 44 continuous hours without electricity on Monday, following a previous period of 53 hours in the dark. A resident in Colón claimed a staggering 56 days without power due to a transformer malfunction.
The crisis in Pinar del Río is equally dire. The provincial Communist Party's first secretary, Yamilé Ramos Cordero, acknowledged on Sunday that some circuits had been without electricity for over 90 hours, with power supplied only to three hospitals and occasionally to the capital's well field.
Prolonged blackouts have also cut off water supplies. Pinar del Río's pumping stations were without power from 4:00 PM to 8:30 AM for two consecutive days. As of Monday, 52 of the province’s 177 water sources were out of service, with some communities experiencing between 67 days to over three months without piped water.
October started bleakly: on October 2, a maximum outage of 2,130 MW was recorded, and on October 10, a transmission line failure between Nuevitas and Las Tunas triggered a massive blackout in eastern Cuba, leaving around 3.4 million people without power for more than two hours.
On Sunday, solar photovoltaic generation contributed 2,817 MWh, peaking at 438 MW at noon. However, this was insufficient to offset the collapse of thermal generation during nighttime, when demand is highest, and solar panels do not produce energy.
Understanding Cuba's Energy Crisis
What is causing the power outages in Cuba?
The power outages are primarily due to a significant deficit in power generation capacity. Several key power plant units are out of service due to malfunctions or maintenance, leading to shortages during peak demand hours.
How are the power outages affecting daily life in Cuba?
The outages are severely disrupting daily life, with many areas experiencing prolonged periods without electricity. This has affected water supply, as pumping stations are without power, and has caused significant inconvenience and hardship for residents.