On Thursday, the Havana Electric Company announced a series of "emergency" power outages scheduled for multiple sectors of the capital due to a severe nationwide electricity generation shortfall. This information was shared in a statement on their Facebook page, indicating that customers in Blocks #1 and #2 will experience outages between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm.
In the afternoon, starting at 3:00 pm, Block #4 will face disruptions until 7:00 pm. Additionally, Block #3 will be affected from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm. However, the company assured that water supply sources in these areas will remain unaffected, and the districts of Boyeros, La Lisa, and Arroyo Naranjo—among the last to recover—will not experience power cuts.
The power generation shortfall has also been confirmed by the Cuban Electric Union (UNE), which stated on its official Facebook page that the country is grappling with a 1,260 MW deficit. During peak hours, availability is estimated at only 1,760 MW, against a demand of 3,020 MW.
The UNE predicts that these interruptions could impact up to 1,330 MW nationwide. As of 7:00 am on Thursday, the National Electric System (SEN) reported an availability of 1,730 MW compared to a demand of 2,450 MW, leaving 592 MW out of service. The situation is expected to worsen in the afternoon, with scheduled outages potentially reaching a 950 MW shortfall.
Several factors contribute to the current power crisis, as highlighted by the UNE. These include breakdowns in power plants like unit 5 at CTE Mariel and unit 4 at CTE Cienfuegos, along with thermal generation limitations amounting to 341 MW. Fuel restrictions also impact 38 distributed generation plants, resulting in 257 MW being out of service.