Cuba's Power Grid Blackout after Major Plant Failure
Cuba's state utility Unión Eléctrica de Cuba announced that Unit 1 of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant was taken out of service on July 26 due to an economizer failure, disconnecting the plant from the National Electric System. The outage reduced available generation to 1,150 MW against a peak demand of about 3,200 MW, leaving more than 65 % of the island without electricity during the highest‑demand period.
The utility also reported that several other units are offline: Unit 6 of the Máximo Gómez plant, Unit 6 of Diez de Octubre, Unit 2 of Felton, Unit 3 of Antonio Maceo, and additional units under maintenance at Santa Cruz, Renté and Nuevitas. On July 28 the UNE forecast a further deficit of up to 2,180 MW, with only 1,070 MW available for an estimated demand of 3,220 MW.
Solar parks contributed a maximum of 604 MW at midday but could not offset the shortfall. Cuban citizens reacted on social media with sarcasm and memes mocking the frequent shutdowns of the Guiteras plant. The crisis is compounded by U.S. sanctions that have limited fuel imports, leading to shortages at airports and further straining the power system. Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy said essential services remain protected despite the blackout.
Entities: Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Plant · Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Plant · Miguel Díaz‑Canel · United States · Unión Eléctrica de Cuba · Vicente de la O Levy
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Additional units (Unit 6 of Máximo Gómez, Unit 6 of Diez de Octubre, Unit 2 of Felton, Unit 3 of Antonio Maceo, plus several units under maintenance) are also out of service. (union eléctrica cubano)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The outage reduced available generation to 1,150 MW against a peak demand of about 3,200 MW, leaving over 65 % of the island without electricity during peak hours. (union eléctrica cubano)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Solar parks generated a maximum of 604 MW at midday, insufficient to offset the national deficit. (union eléctrica cubano)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Unit 1 of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant was taken out of service due to an economizer failure. (union électrique cubano)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Energy minister Vicente de la O Levy said vital services remain protected despite the blackout. (official statement)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Cuban social‑media users responded with sarcasm and memes mocking the frequent shutdowns of the Guiteras plant. (public comments)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] UNE forecast a power deficit of up to 2,180 MW for the night of July 28, with only 1,070 MW available against a demand of 3,220 MW. (union eléctrica cubano)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] U.S. sanctions have limited fuel imports, contributing to the energy crisis and causing airport fuel shortages. (news report)