The Electrical Union (UNE) foresees effects on the electrical service in 51% of the Cuban territory this Saturday, according to its estimates for the time of highest demand in the afternoon and evening, as reported by the EFE agency. The company announced that the blackouts will extend throughout the day, in continuity with the energy crisis that the island has been going through since the middle of last year.
According to the official report, the company calculates for the moment of maximum demand a generation availability of 1,665 MW, well below an estimated peak demand of 3,280 MW. This represents a deficit of 1,615 MW, with a scheduled impact of 1,685 MW to avoid disorderly disconnections.
The national electrical system continues to operate under severe strain. Five of the 16 thermoelectric units are out of service due to breakdowns or maintenance work, while 90 distributed generation plants remain paralyzed due to lack of fuel—diesel and fuel oil—. Added to this is that nearly a dozen of these engines do not work due to a lack of lubricants.
The country’s thermoelectric infrastructure, considered the axis of electricity generation, suffers from decades of exploitation, technological obsolescence and lack of investment and maintenance. Experts consulted point out that the crisis responds to structural underfinancing of a sector that has remained under state control since 1959.
Despite the installation of new photovoltaic parks and the recovery strategy of the National Electric Systemthe outlook continues to be critical. In less than a year, between the final months of 2024 and so far in 2025, Cuba has suffered five total disconnections.
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The Cuban government, for its part, attributes the difficulties to the effects of United States sanctions, which, they claim, limit the country’s ability to acquire fuel and spare parts. According to the authorities, these restrictions contribute to “energy asphyxiation” that worsens the situation of the system.
EFE/OnCuba
