The Electric Company of Havana announced on Wednesday that due to a shortfall in power generation within the National Electric System, it was imperative to initiate "emergency" power outages during the afternoon. According to their statement, Block #3 experienced disruptions starting at 3:00 p.m. and continuing until after 7:00 p.m. Additionally, parts of Block #4, initially scheduled for outages between 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., also faced interruptions during the same afternoon hours.
The company apologized to its customers for the inconvenience caused. However, these emergency outages have sparked concern and criticism due to their regularity and the apparent lack of long-term solutions to the nation's ongoing energy crisis. The shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Plant—recently renamed CTE Matanzas by the UNE—on Tuesday for "urgent boiler maintenance" has exacerbated the island's power generation deficits.
On Tuesday, power outages affected a peak of 1,514 MW, slightly less than the forecasted 1,594 MW. Unfortunately, the outlook for Wednesday remains bleak, with expected outages reaching 1,541 MW during peak times and a significant daytime impact of 1,200 MW.
Future Solar Energy Plans Amidst Ongoing Crisis
Amid one of the worst energy crises in recent decades, the Cuban regime has proposed the "hope" of alleviating daytime blackouts by 2026 through solar energy integration. Ramsés Montes Calzadilla, Director of Energy Policy and Strategy at the Ministry of Energy and Mines, outlined in the state-run newspaper Granma a mega-project aiming to generate 2,000 megawatts (MW) of solar power. This initiative, coupled with a battery storage system, is expected to contribute an average of 1,400 MW by midday.