Cuba Suffers Another Nationwide Power Failure

Foto: elTOQUE.

Cuba Suffers Another Nationwide Power Failure

17 / marzo / 2025

The island is in darkness again. Around 8:15 p.m. on March 14, 2025, a failure at the Diezmero substation caused a significant generation loss in the western part of the country, leading to the collapse of the National Power Grid, said the Ministry of Energy and Mines.

According to the forecast of the Electric Union (UNE) for March 14, during peak hours, 42% of the country’s total service would be interrupted. Seven thermoelectric units (out of the 16 in existence) were out of service due to failures and maintenance, while 73 generator groups were unable to operate due to a lack of fuel.

Vicente de la O Levy, Minister of Energy and Mines, wrote on his social network at 11:15 p.m. that micro-systems were already functioning in ten provinces.

This is the fourth time in five months that the island has been left in total darkness. In recent years, however, the electrical situation has become critical, with routine blackouts lasting over 20 hours a day in many localities.

On October 18, 2024, the first recent national disconnection occurred. At that time, authorities stated that the “Antonio Guiteras” Thermoelectric Power Plant (CTE) suffered an “unexpected shutdown” that caused the collapse. Restoring the system took four days.

On November 6, 2024, while Hurricane Rafael was making landfall in Cuba, the national power grid was disconnected again. A month later, on December 4, the “Antonio Guiteras” plant caused another collapse due to an “automatic system failure.” That time, Cubans expressed their frustration through pot-banging protests and public demonstrations.

Presient Miguel Diaz-Canel continues to bet on the island’s electrical salvation coming from 1,000 MW of solar panel energy in 2025. So far, only two photovoltaic parks of 21.8 MW each have been installed. Canel assured that by March 2025, seven more would be inaugurated, a goal that remains to be seen.


This article was translated into English from the original in Spanish.
toque-promo

If you believe that our journalism is important for Cuba and its people, we want you to know that this is a critical moment.

Behind each publication there is a team that strives to ensure that our products meet high quality standards and adhere to professional and ethical values.

However, to keep a close watch over government, demand transparency, investigate, analyze the problems of our society and make visible the hidden issues on the public agenda is an effort that requires resources.

You can contribute to our mission and that is why today we ask for your help. Select the way you prefer to send us a donation.

Rate this news

loading ...

comments

We moderate comments on this site. If you want to know more details, read our Privacy Policy

Your email address will not be published. Mandatory fields are marked with *

INFORMAL FOREIGN EXCHANGE
MARKET IN CUBA (REAL TIME)

toque_logo_white
1 EUR352.00 CUP
+2
1 USD348.00 CUP
+1
1 MLC275.00 CUP
1 CAD225.00 CUP
+5
Calendar iconCUBA
test
bell-notification

Don't miss our news

Subscribe to notifications and find out instantly about everything we have for you: breaking news, market alerts, live broadcasts and more!

Don't miss
our news

Subscribe to notifications and find out instantly about everything we have for you: breaking news, market alerts, live broadcasts and more!

bell-notification