This is the first outage of this magnitude so far this year and comes after weeks in which the generation deficit exceeded 1,200 MW.
14ymedio, Havana, 15 March 2025 — Cuba’s National Electric Power System (SEN) suffered a power outage this Friday night around 8:15 p.m., plunging the country once again into total darkness. According to the official press, the blackout was caused “by a high fluctuation in the system” and “the causes and magnitude of the incident are being investigated.”
Before the SEN went down, numerous users reported power fluctuations in several Havana municipalities. After a few seconds of flickering lights, the city plunged into darkness, except for some state-owned buildings that have backup batteries to guarantee a power supply.
“A breakdown at the Diezmero substation caused a significant loss of generation in western Cuba and, consequently, the National Electric System (SEN) went down. The recovery process is already underway,” the Ministry of Energy and Mines added shortly afterward on its social media.
The spread of the blackout throughout the island has also been confirmed from different Cuban provinces and municipalities.
The 14ymedio newsroom notes the magnitude of the citywide power outage. Various Cuban provinces and municipalities have also confirmed the extent of the blackout across the island. This is the first outage of this magnitude this year and comes after weeks in which the power generation deficit has far exceeded 1,200 MW.
This Friday, the Electricity Union estimated an availability of 1,940 MW and a peak demand of 3,250 MW, resulting in a deficit of 1,310 MW. If expected conditions persist, the state monopoly estimated a 1,380 MW impact during peak hours. Ultimately, the battered national energy system could not hold up and has collapsed.
At the end of last year, the SEN suffered three such power outages in less than two months, plunging the country into total darkness. The most recent, on December 4, was caused by an “automatic trip” at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, the country’s main power plant, which caused the outage, a very similar incident to the one that occurred last October 18.
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