Cuba faces 1,990 MW power shortfall after two thermal plants go offline

Cuba's state electricity provider, Unión Eléctrica, reported that two thermal power plants – the Antonio Guiteras plant in Matanzas and Unit 8 of the Máximo Gómez plant in Mariel – went offline due to unknown faults. The outages raised the national generation deficit to an estimated 1,990 MW during peak hours on Friday, with overall demand reaching about 3,050 MW while available capacity fell to roughly 1,090 MW.

In addition to the plant failures, 54 newly commissioned solar parks contributed 3,220 MWh and a peak output of 482 MW, but this renewable output could not offset the loss. The utility warned that the deficit would affect the national grid throughout the day, prompting emergency measures such as bringing fuel‑oil generators online.

Separately, Russian firms expressed willingness to invest in long‑term Cuban projects, a statement made by Vice‑Prime Minister Dmitri Chernishenko, highlighting potential foreign interest despite external pressures.