This past Friday afternoon, several areas in Havana experienced a power outage due to a malfunction at the Cuatro Caminos Substation located in the Cotorro municipality. The capital's Electric Company announced via social media that the power disruption was caused by a breakdown in the high-power transformer at the substation. This issue impacted the Popular Councils of Cuatro Caminos, Santa Amelia, and La Portada, as well as nearby regions.
State company executives assured the public that they were working to replace the damaged equipment and would remain on-site "until electrical service is restored." However, numerous skeptical Cubans doubted the promise of electricity restoration, noting that multiple circuits had been without power all day, affecting areas outside the scheduled power cutoffs. "We don't believe a word they say; here in Guanabacoa's block 2, the power is constantly going on and off. Watch, they'll end up disconnecting the entire country. God forbid, because we're already neck-deep in trouble," remarked one individual. Another resident noted that a transformer had exploded in the same municipality at 4:00 PM and had yet to be fixed.
Concerns Over Nationwide Blackouts
Amid concerns about the significant energy deficit and fears of another massive blackout in Cuba, the Electric Company dismissed claims that such an event could happen again. "It is FALSE that there will be a total disconnection of SEN in Cuba. The outages will continue as planned in each province, given the current generation deficit," they stated on Facebook. A user pointed out that the company's statement indicated that "disconnections are entirely planned" by the regime.
The backlash was swift. Hundreds of angry Cubans criticized the announcement, especially since some regions of the island endure over 12 hours without electricity. "You better not let the SEN collapse because any remaining credibility you might have will go down the drain. They try to act efficient with these posts yet shut down all of Cuba at their whim, leaving provincial areas high and dry," wrote another concerned citizen.
Escalating Energy Crisis in Cuba
Cuba's energy crisis has worsened recently, with prolonged blackouts and a staggering electricity generation shortfall exceeding 1,600 megawatts (MW). According to the official report from the Electric Union (UNE) on Friday, April 4th, there were service disruptions for the entire previous day.
The shortfall is attributed to the breakdown of two units at the Nuevitas and Felton thermoelectric plants and scheduled maintenance on five other generating units at the Santa Cruz, Cienfuegos, and Renté CTEs. In addition, 69 distributed generation plants are offline due to fuel shortages, impacting 501 MW, while another 139 MW are unavailable due to a lack of lubricants.
For the evening peak demand, an expectation of 3,450 MW contrasts with an available capacity of 1,840 MW, leading to an anticipated deficit of 1,610 MW and an estimated impact of 1,680 MW.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cuba's Power Outages
What caused the recent power outage in Havana?
The power outage was caused by a malfunction in the high-power transformer at the Cuatro Caminos Substation in the Cotorro municipality.
How is the Cuban government addressing the energy crisis?
Government officials are working to replace damaged equipment and are maintaining planned outages in each province to manage the generation deficit.
What are the main factors contributing to Cuba's energy deficit?
The energy deficit is primarily due to malfunctions in key thermoelectric plants, scheduled maintenance, and fuel shortages affecting distributed generation plants.