The Ministry of Energy and Mines of Cuba announced the third complete failure of the National Electric System (SEN) in less than three days. The first disconnection of the system occurred on Friday morning due to an unexpected outage of a key power plant. Despite initial efforts to restore the system, a new total disconnection was recorded on Saturday morning. Later, the subsystem in the western half of the island collapsed.
The Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, mentioned that the recovery efforts for the SEN will be complex and gradual. Work was done to interconnect circuits from Mariel to Holguín and to operate several thermoelectric plants, including the Antonio Guiteras. Despite these efforts, it is expected that most consumers will receive electric supply on Monday and that the work will be completed by Tuesday.
The frequent power outages in recent days, with impact rates exceeding 50% of the country, have negatively affected the Cuban economy. These energy problems have caused social discontent amid a persistent economic crisis, triggering various anti-government protests recently.
The National Electric System is in a precarious situation due to fuel shortages and constant failures in outdated thermoelectric plants. Blackouts have been common in the country for years, but the situation has recently worsened due to a lack of investment in the sector.
