Havana residents walk through a street amid the blackout. Ramón Espinosa/AP.
Cuba experienced a total blackout following a malfunction at an electrical substation in Havana that led to the failure of the National Electrical System (SEN).
“Around 8:15 p.m. tonight, a malfunction at the Diezmero substation caused a significant loss of generation in western Cuba and, with it, the collapse of the National Electric System. The recovery process is already underway,” reported the Ministry of Energy and Mines on Friday, March 14.
Previously, local media had reported that the SEN outage had occurred due to a “high system oscillation.”
“The disconnection of the national electrical system occurred due to a high system oscillation. The causes and magnitude of what happened are being investigated,” Canal Caribe journalist Lázaro Manuel Alonso posted on his social media.
Authorities working on restoring service
After the collapse of the SEN on Friday night, Cuban authorities announced that work brigades of the public company Unión Eléctrica (UNE) and the Ministry of Energy and Mines are making progress in restoring electrical service.
The minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, reported that microsystems are already operational in the provinces of Guantánamo, Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, and Las Tunas in eastern Cuba.
Other systems in the territories of Ciego de Ávila, Sancti Spíritus, Villa Clara, and Cienfuegos in the center of the country, as well as Artemisa and Pinar del Río in the west, are also being restored, he added.
Ya funcionan microsistemas en #Guantanamo #SantiagoDeCuba #Holguin #LasTunas #CiegoDeÁvila #SanctiSpiritus #VillaClara #Cienfuegos #Artemisa y #PinarDelRio
Avanzamos en el restablecimiento del SEN cumpliendo todos los protocolos establecidos.— Vicente de la O Levy (@VicentedelaO2) March 15, 2025
The minister emphasized that all established protocols are being followed for this gradual recovery process.
Similarly, Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz stated, “After the unexpected disconnection of the SEN, work is already underway without rest for its prompt recovery.”
Since October 2024, Cuba has been suffering from recurring blackouts due to failures in thermal power plants or a lack of fuel resulting from the US blockade. Several countries around the world have shown solidarity and support for the island nation in this situation.
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The SEN suffered complete disconnections on October 18, November 6, and December 4, 2024.
In October, the disconnection occurred due to fuel deficit and the absence of tankers and distributed generation, as Minister Vicente de la O Levy reported at the time.
Weeks later, Hurricane Rafael damaged the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes thermoelectric plant in the province of Cienfuegos and transmission lines, leading to a total blackout in November 2024.
In the early hours of December 4, 2024, a third blackout occurred after the shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant in the province of Matanzas, the main electricity distributor for the western region, due to an automatic trip.
Again, on February 12, 2025, the entire island was left without electricity due to an unexpected outage at the Felton 1 Thermal Power Plant.
Cuban authorities have repeatedly condemned the financial persecution and the obstacles that they face in acquiring fuel and equipment due to the economic blockade imposed by the United States.
(Telesur) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/SF
