Cuba faces major electricity deficit as 11 thermal plants go offline

The Union Eléctrica de Cuba (UNE) forecast a generation shortfall of 2,020 MW against an estimated demand of 3,050 MW for peak Sunday, a 66% deficit. Eleven of the island’s sixteen thermal power units are out of service due to failures or maintenance, including the 220 MW Antonio Guiteras plant and the 200 MW Felton plant, while other units such as Máximo Gómez and Ernesto Guevara remain non‑operational.

A further 106 distributed generation centres are offline, removing about 890 MW. Although 54 new solar parks add roughly 490 MW at midday, the overall supply gap persists. The shortages have produced blackouts lasting more than 48 hours in interior provinces and up to 20 hours daily in Havana, disrupting water, food preservation and hospital services. Citizens have staged protests, including street blockades in Regla, which were cleared by police after power was restored.

UNE expects the Santa Cruz del Norte plant (60 MW) to reconnect later, but the crisis highlights decades of over‑use, chronic under‑investment and fuel constraints, intensifying social discontent.