The London-based company, NetBlocks, which specializes in global Internet monitoring, issued a warning on Friday about a "significant" drop in Internet traffic in Cuba. This decrease is attributed to a power outage caused by the shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, as stated by the Ministry of Energy.
According to NetBlocks' data, the decline occurred shortly after noon on Friday. The company's graph clearly illustrates a stark contrast when compared to the previous two days, which showed traffic peaks of 100% at the same time.
Led by British human rights advocate Alp Toker, NetBlocks is a private, "independent and non-partisan" entity with expertise in digital rights, cybersecurity, and internet governance. In 2020, they confirmed a partial interruption of social networks in Cuba during protests related to the Movement of San Isidro (MSI). Notably, the internet outage detected by them coincided with the eviction of the San Isidro protesters.
Energy System Collapse in Cuba
This dramatic drop in Internet traffic aligns with an announcement from the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM) about a complete disconnection of the National Electroenergetic System (SEN) due to the Guiteras plant going offline.
The total shutdown of the plant began at 11:07 AM, with the ministry citing the precarious operating conditions of the SEN. The authorities claim that the Electric Union is working to restore service, although the announcement was quickly removed from official channels.
According to a report from the UNE, seven thermoelectric units were out of service as of Friday morning: four due to breakdowns and three undergoing maintenance.
In an urgent broadcast on Cuban television, Lázaro Guerra Hernández, the general director of Electricity at MINEM, explained the collapse of the island's energy system, stressing that there is currently "no defined timeline" for the full restoration of services. He also noted that investigations into the cause of the outage are ongoing.
Hundreds of readers of CiberCuba expressed outrage over the new announcement from the Ministry of Energy and Mines regarding the total blackout of the National Electroenergetic System.
"What a huge lack of respect, an entire country without electricity. They should just hand over the country and leave; Cuba is a disgrace now. They've destroyed it, and not just the island that's falling apart, but also its people, the ones who suffer the most," voiced an angry user.