Cuba is left in the dark: general blackout on the island after a “total disconnection” of the energy system

The Ministry of Energy and Mines of Cuba reported this Friday of the “total disconnection” of the island’s energy system after an incident at the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Power Plant (CTE), the main generating facility in the country.

“After the unforeseen departure of the CTE Antonio Guiteras, at 11 in the morning today (Friday, local time) the total disconnection of the National Electroenergy System”, the Cuban Ministry of Energy has reported on its social networks.

Thus, the Cuban authorities have detailed that the Electrical Union “works on its restoration.”

The Cuban authorities later assured that they are already working on the process of restoring the electrical service in the country and that they have “a well-defined strategy” to do it “safely.”

“The recovery of the SEN (National Electric Service) is advancing. We have a well-defined strategy,” said the Cuban head of Energy and Mines (MINEM). Vicente de la O Levy. “We are complying with all the protocols to do it safely and avoid microsystem crashes. We have all our highly trained specialists, to achieve it in the shortest time possible,” he added in a publication on his account on the social network X.

The Ministry has also reiterated that the process of restoring the electrical system is already underway and that they are reviewing “each of the thermoelectric plantsthe availability of fuel and the situation of the network”.

As a result of this work, “partial generation in (the company) Energas” has been achieved, “the first loads have been connected to reach the thermoelectric plants with energy” and the micro electrical systems of Villa Clara, Holguín, Granma and Guantánamo.

For its part, the Cuban Electrical Union has reported that a representation of its directors and technicians is meeting with “the commander of the revolution (the vice prime minister) Ramiro Valdes Menendezdirectors of the MINEM, specialists and experts in the National Office” to work together on the reestablishment of the SEN.

“From the country’s leadership we are dedicating absolute priority to the attention and solution of this highly sensitive energy contingency for the nation. There will be no rest until its restoration,” stated the Cuban president, Miguel Díaz-Canel.

Before the blackout, the Cuban Government recognized that the country was going through one of its worst energy crises and promised savings measures at the state level to contain supply outages in homes as much as possible.

As it is, the prime minister, Roberto Marrerohas provided a message to the nation to express the concern of the Executive over some shortcomings that it has attributed mainly to the lack of fuel, which would be added to the poor state of the infrastructure and the progressive increase in demand, according to official media.