HAVANA, Cuba. – A new disconnection from the National Electrical System (SEN) left Cuba without an internet connection, as reflected by data published by Diktyon in its official account on the platform (formerly Twitter).
In the early hours of the morning, the Cuban Ministry of Energy and Mines announced a national blackout, which coincided with “the abrupt drop in the volume of Internet traffic in Cuba.” According to Diktyon, the event was recorded at 2:08 am, the same time that the SEN was disconnected at the exit of the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Plant, the largest in the country.
“At 2:08 am the Electrical Union announced the disconnection of the National Electrical System (SEN). The graph coincides with this time in the abrupt drop in the volume of internet traffic in Cuba,” indicated Diktyon in X.
The data shared by the group of researchers is supported by graphs from Cloudflare Radar, a free real-time monitoring platform for the state of the internet. In the analysis, it is observed that internet traffic on the Island fell below 20%, which represents half of the volume expected for 9:00 am on the Island.
This is the third abrupt internet outage in 2024 related to the disconnection of the SEN. The previous two occurred in October and November, and on both occasions, it took approximately four days for traffic to return to normal levels.
The situation occurs in the context of a severe energy crisis that has affected Cuba for months. The insufficiency in electricity generation leaves around half of the country without service daily, with reports of prolonged blackouts that in some regions reach 22 hours a day.
The constant instability in the electricity supply and interruptions in internet connectivity aggravate the national panorama. After learning about the blackout this Wednesday, the Minister of Labor and Social Security of Cuba, Marta Elena Feitó, informed official media that all work and teaching activities were suspended.
The official specified that the measure will remain in force until electricity is restored in the country.
The first total blackout of this year began on October 18 and lasted up to five days in several regions of the country. That time, the MINEM also reported that the “total disconnection” of the SEN was due to the departure of the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Plant.
Then, at the beginning of November, the Electrical Union (UNE) confirmed a new total blackout, supposedly caused by the effects of Hurricane Rafael, which crossed the west of the Island.
