The Cuban Electric Union (UNE) released an official statement on Friday detailing the reasons behind the worsening power outages plaguing several districts in Havana.
The announcement attributes the situation to a combination of factors: an unresolved malfunction at the Apolo Substation and widespread power generation limitations across the nation.
Apolo Substation's Ongoing Challenges
The issue at Apolo dates back to June 3rd when a failure occurred in the connection bar of the output breakers, cutting off all associated circuits. Technicians from the Havana Electric Company, aided by GEYSEL and ECIE teams, managed to restore service during the night of June 5th. However, the recovery was only partial as one of the two transformers remained inoperative.
Due to this limitation, UNE implemented a rotation plan: "6-hour service interruptions followed by 3-hour service periods for all circuits in the affected area."
Why the Rotation Plan Failed
Despite the severe nature of this rotation, maintaining it has proven challenging. UNE candidly admitted:
"We regret to inform that the strict implementation of this rotation has been disrupted in recent days due to limitations in national power generation availability, affecting the stability of the planned scheme."
In reality, the national electrical grid is unable to generate enough power to even sustain the scheduled outages. UNE's statement assured that its teams are "working intensively to complete transformer capacity as quickly as possible," and offered formal apologies to those impacted.
Worsening National Power Crisis
The Cuban News Agency reported that two additional thermoelectric units were taken offline on Thursday: Unit 4 of the CTE Carlos Manuel de Céspedes due to a voltage regulator failure, and Unit 2 of the CTE Ernesto Guevara de la Serna because of an issue in the economizer.
As a direct result, at 5:45 PM, the Havana Electric Company suspended service at 110 kV in Playa, La Lisa, Boyeros, Plaza de la Revolución, and Centro Habana.
This crisis unfolds amid an unprecedented collapse of Cuba's energy system. On Thursday, the country recorded a historic deficit of 2,341 megawatts, with availability at a mere 935 MW against a demand of 3,100 MW.
The previous Sunday saw Cuba's third nationwide blackout of 2026—the seventh total collapse of the National Electroenergetic System in 18 months—triggered by the shutdown of Unit 6 at the Nuevitas thermoelectric plant in Camagüey, which further destabilized the Apolo rotation scheme.
In response, the Havana Electric Company announced on Friday the abandonment of the block management system for blackouts in favor of a circuit-based approach. This change, intended to be gradual, was hastened by the crisis. Reports from Havana residents mentioned power cuts lasting up to 30 consecutive hours in neighborhoods like Versalles in La Lisa and Zamora in Marianao.
Social media reactions were strong. "Your apologies solve nothing," a user commented on a post by the Havana Electric Company.
On Thursday, Miguel Díaz-Canel toured Havana municipalities, urging better organization of power outage schedules but without announcing any specific measures to boost electricity generation in the country.
Understanding Havana's Power Outage Crisis
What are the main causes of the recent power outages in Havana?
The recent power outages in Havana are primarily due to an unresolved malfunction at the Apolo Substation and a general shortage in national power generation capacity.
How has the Havana Electric Company responded to the power crisis?
The Havana Electric Company has shifted from a block management system to a circuit-based approach for managing outages, and is working to enhance transformer capacity to resolve the issues swiftly.
What was the public's reaction to the ongoing power issues?
The public reaction has been critical, with many expressing frustration on social media about the lack of effective solutions and the prolonged outages.
What steps did Miguel Díaz-Canel take in light of the outages?
Miguel Díaz-Canel visited affected municipalities in Havana and called for improved scheduling of power cuts, but did not announce concrete measures to increase power generation.