The breaks occurred on Monday morning in Unit 5 of the Máximo Gómez thermoelectric plant and in Unit 3 of the Ernesto Guevara de la Serna thermoelectric plant, in Santa Cruz del Norte.
MADRID, Spain.- Two new breakdowns in thermoelectric plants in western Cuba this Monday aggravated the already critical situation of the national electrical system, on a day marked by one of the largest generation deficits in recent months.
According to official information, at 8:09 a.m. Unit 5 of the CTE Máximo Gómez was out of service due to a leak in the boiler. Minutes later, at 08:27, Unit 3 of the Ernesto Guevara de la Serna CTE, located in Santa Cruz del Norte, also went offline due to a blocked CAR B. Both incidents further reduced the available capacity of the National Electrical System (SEN) in a context of high demand.
According to the daily report of the Electrical Union of Cuba, the planned generation is insufficient to cover consumption during peak night hours. The report estimates a demand greater than 3,400 megawatts (MW), compared to an availability that would be between 1,400 and 1,500 MW, which translates into a deficit close to 2,000 MW. The estimated impact for this critical period is also around that figure, with simultaneous blackouts that could reach almost 60% of the country.
In addition to those mentioned, several thermoelectric units remain out of service due to breakdowns or maintenance, while a significant part of distributed generation remains inactive due to lack of fuel and lubricants, limiting the system’s response capacity.
The Cuban electricity crisis has worsened steadily since mid-2024, when deficits began to escalate and blackouts became longer and more widespread throughout the country. The combination of obsolete infrastructure, poor maintenance, fuel deficit and lack of structural investments has made the situation unsustainable for the population, with direct impacts on daily life, the conservation of food and medicine, access to water and basic habitability conditions.
This deterioration in supply has also been a triggering factor for popular protests spontaneous in different locations, especially after prolonged blackouts at night, in a context of growing social unrest.
