Blackouts in Cuba: More than 100 power plants shut down due to fuel shortages

The energy situation in Cuba is critical. Blackouts are forecast for more than half the island on Friday night, April 25. 

According to the information release from the Electric Union, 104 distributed generation plants (725 MW) are out due to fuel shortages. Additionally, another 50 MW are out due to the Mariel fuel plant. This translates to a loss of 1800 MW tonight. 

Below is the official statement from the UNE.

Information Note: State of the National Electric System (SEN) – April 25, 2025

Last Thursday, 24-hour service was affected and remained disrupted throughout the night today. The peak impact yesterday was 1680 MW at 19:20 p.m., which was not peak demand.

The energy production of the 8 new photovoltaic solar parks was 986 MWh.

Current status of the SEN

At 7:00 a.m. this Friday, SEN availability was 1650 MW, while demand reached 2710 MW, resulting in a disruption of 1097 MW. By midday, a disruption of 1250 MW is estimated. Peak-hour forecast: 1650 MW of availability and 3380 MW of peak demand are estimated, resulting in a deficit of 1730 MW. Therefore, if conditions continue, a disruption of 1800 MW is forecast during this time.

Main energy incidents in Cuba

• Breakdown: Unit 5 of the Mariel CTE and Unit 2 of the Felton CTE.
• Maintenance: Unit 2 of the Santa Cruz CTE, Units 3 and 4 of the Cienfuegos CTE and Unit 5 of the Renté CTE.
• Thermal limitations: 399 MW out of service.

Problems due to lack of fuel:

• 104 distributed generation plants (725 MW).
• 50 MW at the Mariel fuel plant.