Cuba's National Electric System (SEN) was disconnected for 16 hours after its seventh total outage in a year and a half, while one hydroelectric plant, one thermal unit, and two power plants are already operating in the center and west of the country, the Ministry of Energy and Mines (Minem) reported on Sunday. After the first steps to restore the SEN, some micro-systems linked to essential centers are also functioning, and a unit at the Santa Cruz del Norte Thermal Power Plant (west), considered 'key' to the SEN, is 'in the startup process,' the report added. However, this would only be the second thermal unit in operation out of a total of 16 in the country, and neither of the two is among the highest-capacity units. Regarding this new national blackout—the second in a week—Minem executive Lázaro Guerra told state television that while the causes are being investigated, the shutdown of a unit at the Nuevitas thermal plant (center-east) was detected, followed by a 'cascading' effect that left other generators in the country without service. The procedure to restore the SEN is gradual and may take several days, specialists have warned in similar situations in the past. It requires generating energy from easy-start sources—solar, hydroelectric, and generation motors—to supply electricity to small areas that are then interconnected. The goal is to bring sufficient energy to thermal power plants, which are the basis of electricity generation on the island, as quickly as possible to enable their startup and resume energy production. In Havana, supply has been restored to only seven of a total of 285 distribution circuits responsible for delivering electricity to homes, meaning only 72,638 customers currently have power, representing 8.4% of the city. Another blackout The seventh total disconnection of the SEN recorded by Cuba in just over a year and a half occurred on Saturday at 18:32 local time (22:32 GMT) when, for reasons yet to be determined, the SEN experienced a total disconnection. Most of the system's failures, from which the island took days to recover, were associated with malfunctions and breakdowns, mainly at the Antonio Guiteras thermal plant, although natural disasters have also played a role. Cuba has now recorded seven national blackouts and as many partial ones since October 2024 due to a combination of a structural factor—a deeply obsolete energy system—and the US oil blockade initiated in January. This Washington measure, which has left Cuba's electricity generation system almost without fuel (mainly diesel and fuel oil), has paralyzed the island's economic activity, sparking social discontent. In recent days, protests have been reported, mainly in Havana neighborhoods, and a larger demonstration in Morón (center) that ended in violence and left at least five detainees.
