UNE Reports Power Restoration in Western Cuba Amid Public Skepticism

In the early hours of Sunday, at 1:10 a.m., the Cuban Electric Union (UNE) announced via its official Facebook page the restoration of the electrical system in western Cuba. This came after nearly seven hours of complete blackout that started Saturday afternoon.

The announcement was met with widespread skepticism. In the comments on the post, residents from Havana, Matanzas, Artemisa, and Cienfuegos reported they were still without power.

Power Restoration Progress

The outage began at 6:07 p.m. on Saturday when the UNE reported a simultaneous fault in the 220 kV power lines from Matanzas to Cienfuegos and Matanzas to Santa Clara. This split the National Electroenergetic System, plunging five provinces—Pinar del Río, Artemisa, Mayabeque, Havana, and Matanzas—into darkness.

Recovery efforts were gradual, with updates provided at each step. The company prioritized critical infrastructure, stating, "At this moment, restoration work continues according to the established procedure. Hospitals and vital centers have power. Generating units in the western region are being prepared for gradual integration into the National Electroenergetic System (SEN)."

By 12:25 a.m., the UNE marked a significant technical achievement: "Unit 3 of the Renté Thermoelectric Power Plant is back online after the collapse."

Shortly thereafter, it was reported that the system was progressively being connected toward the west: "The system is linked up to the 220 kV Mariel Substation. The Mariel Thermoelectric Plant is starting up, and the Ernesto Guevara Plant in Santa Cruz del Norte has power."

Subsequent updates noted further progress: "Varadero Energás Units 1 and 3 are synchronized with SEN. The Máximo Gómez Unit 5, Ernesto Guevara Units 1 and 2, and the Energás Boca de Jaruco combined cycle are starting."

At 1:10 a.m., the UNE concluded the sequence with, "The electrical system in the west of the country has been restored."

System Strains Before the Outage

The Saturday blackout occurred against the backdrop of an already strained network. By 6:00 a.m. that day, availability was a mere 895 MW against a demand of 2,825 MW.

Ten thermoelectric units were out of operation, six due to malfunctions—including the country's largest, the Antonio Guiteras Power Plant—and four were under maintenance.

This incident marks the fifth total collapse of the National Electroenergetic System in 2026, following outages on March 16 (lasting 29 hours and 29 minutes), July 6 (almost 24 hours), and collapses on July 11 and 14.

Public Reaction: Skepticism and Frustration

The official announcement did not align with the reality for thousands of families, as evidenced by comments on the UNE's page.

Reactions ranged from irony to outrage. "I don't have power. I think they moved me out of the west; I'm from planet Mars," one user quipped.

Another remarked, "They put the map upside down."

Specific complaints came from neighborhoods in Havana: "Marianao has been without power since before the system went down," and "Old Havana is still without power."

Many pointed to uneven distribution: "Only privileged circuits were turned on."

Others linked the outages to water shortages: "We need power because we've been without water for months due to the blackouts."

One comment encapsulated the underlying technical contradiction: "Having the system linked doesn't mean there's enough generation; the deficit persists."

The prevailing sentiment was one of fatigue and frustration.

"It's total misinformation with the people," a user wrote. Energy and Mines Minister Vicente de la O Levy acknowledged on July 30 that some communities have been without electricity for up to 105 days, admitting that the crisis "does not have a short-term solution."