Earlier today Friday October 18, 2024 ; Cuba experienced a nationwide blackout due to a major failure in a key thermal power plant, as confirmed by the country’s energy ministry. The outage, which began after several key units at various power stations suffered breakdowns, has plunged the nation into a deepening energy crisis. The outage reflects ongoing struggles within the National Electric System (SEN), which has faced continuous deficits in energy generation in recent weeks.

Several power plants, including the Mariel and Felton plants, have been out of service due to breakdowns, while others remain under maintenance, leading to insufficient power supply. Additionally, the energy crisis is compounded by fuel shortages, which have sidelined many distributed generation plants. The Unión Eléctrica (UNE) is coordinating repairs and attempting to bring additional plants online to reduce the shortfall, but projections indicate that demand will continue to outstrip supply during peak hours by over 1,000 MW.

Authorities warn that the restoration process may take time, leaving Cubans facing prolonged outages with no immediate resolution.