The deficit of electricity generation in Cuba This Monday it reached the unprecedented figure of 2,105 megawatts (Mw) during peak demand hours, which at that time left almost 60% of the country outside of coverage.
According to a informative note disclosed by the Electrical Union (UNE), the new deficit record was recorded at 7:00 pm, due to the conjunction of several factors, including the breakdowns suffered by several of the most important generation plants on the island.
The report indicates that for this reason, unit 2 of the Felton Thermoelectric Plant and unit 3 of the CTE Renté are disconnected from the National Electrical System (SEN).
At the same time, the unavailability due to scheduled maintenance extends to the other three units in Mariel, Santa Cruz and Cienfuegos, and the Energas plant in Puerto Escondido, all with a significant weight in thermal generation, which shows a limitation of around 542 Mw.
The situation has become much more complex due to the shortage of fuel to put into operation 102 distributed generation plants, which together should contribute 912 Mw to the SEN, an impact that reaches up to 1081 Mw and is added the unavailability generated by the lack of lubricants.
Of the damaged units, it is expected that only the Renté unit (50 MW) can be incorporated into generation during peak hours this Tuesday. The contribution of a unit from Cienfuegos (95 Mw) and six engines from the Moa Power Plant (80) is also expected to promote some improvement in availability.
However, the UNE predicts another day marked by continuous blackouts, because it will only be able to make 1,835 Mw available for consumption, which will generate a deficit of 1,905 during the segment with the highest demand.
⚡ Update of the National Electroenergy System for December 2, 2025.
Read more: https://t.co/6hVsTmTMZR#UnitedXCuba #ElectricUnion #UNE #InformativeNote pic.twitter.com/1YLe0CwyK3
— Cuban Electrical Union (@OSDE_UNE) December 2, 2025
Everything seems to indicate that this will be the trend for the remainder of the year, despite the plans promoted by the Cuban Government to mitigate the crisis, especially with the installation of solar parks, which this Monday produced 2,623 MW/h, with 448 MW as the maximum power delivered during peak daytime hours.
Cuban thermoelectric plants are mostly obsolete, after decades of operation and a chronic deficit in investment and maintenance, while there are electricity generation engines out of service due to the country’s lack of foreign currency to import fuel.
The Government alleges the impact of US sanctions on this industry as the fundamental cause and accuses it of “energy asphyxiation.” The blackouts, in fact, represent a strong burden on the economy, which contracted 1.1% in 2024 and adds an accumulated fall of 11% in the last five years, according to official data.
