A fire in one of the boiler ducts of Block 6 of the Diez de Octubre Thermoelectric Power Plant (CTE), in Nuevitas, caused the output of a unit that contributed 60 megawatts (MW) to the National Electroenergy System (SEN) from Cuba.
As he explained to the newspaper Granma the director of the plant, Jorge Luis Maceira Esteva, the Repairs will last approximately 72 hoursalthough they can only begin when the damaged area reaches a safe temperature to allow replacement of the affected section.
Maceira pointed out that The fire did not cause any significant damage. in other components of the generating block, so once the fault is resolved, the unit can be restarted and rejoined in the SEN.
The departure of Block 6 represents a new blow to the country’s critical generation capacity, which was facing a high deficit on this same day.
According to the Unión Eléctrica, unit 1 of the CTE Lidio Ramón Pérez (Felton), unit 5 of the CTE Máximo Gómez (Mariel) and unit 5 of the CTE Antonio Maceo (Rente) also remained out of service on Sunday night, all due to breakdowns or maintenance.
Blackouts in Cuba, the endless crisis
The incident occurs in a particularly critical context for the Cuban electrical system.
As the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, acknowledged to the press last Thursday, 2025 has been a “very difficult” and “very tense” year, marked by what he described as “the greatest absence of fuel” that the country faces.
The official admitted that in some areas there have been blackouts of up to 24 hours a day, while several Cubans speak of experiences of more than a day without electricity.
De la O Levy also announced that 2026 will be equally complex due to the lack of foreign currency to purchase fuel, although he stated that it could be “slightly better” due to an expected reduction in blackouts, a promise that Cubans have been hearing every year.
However, he warned that the effects of fuel deficit will continue “in an important way,” he said. EFE.
The new fire at the Nuevitas thermoelectric plant thus adds to a series of failures and limitations that keep the SEN under constant pressure and the population facing blackouts prolonged and recurrent.
SEN: 24 hours of blackouts and more than 1900 MW of deficit projected for this Sunday
