Madrid/The provinces of Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo were disconnected from the national electrical system (SEN) this Sunday, after the tripping of a high-voltage transmission line. The new breakdown adds to a list of partial disconnections that have hit the eastern region during 2026, one of the hardest hit by prolonged consecutive blackouts.
The Cuban Electrical Union (UNE) reported on its WhatsApp channel at 1:14 p.m. that the incident occurred on the Cueto-Renté line and that “the protocols for its restoration” have already been activated. “Trip of the Cueto Renté Line, disconnecting the provinces of Gtmo and Stgo de Cuba from the SEN,” the statement said.
The Santiago de Cuba Electric Company confirmed on its Telegram channel that the interruption affects both territories. “As a result of a trip on the 220 kV Line, the provinces of Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo are without electrical service,” the entity indicated.
A few hours earlier, the UNE had announced the reconnection of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, in Matanzas, the largest generating unit in the country, which this Saturday had left the system because “a false reading of the automatic system reflected vibrations in the turbine and automatically took the plant out of the system,” according to the official journalist. Jose Miguel Solis. The plant, which has suffered years of deterioration and lack of maintenance and operates beyond its useful life, has been disconnected at least 23 times this year and is hardly able to remain stable in the system.
“As a result of a trip on the 220 kV Line, the provinces of Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo are without electrical service”
The part of the UNE posted this morningbefore the shot that affected the eastern region, estimated for peak hours an availability of 1,120 megawatts (MW) compared to a demand of 2,850 MW, with a planned impact of 1,760 MW. The previous day, the maximum impact due to generation deficit was 1,843 MW.
The east of the country has suffered several disconnections of the SEN this year. On Saturday, October 10, the trip of the 220 kV Nuevitas-Las Tunas line isolated five eastern provinces, and the UNE announced the restoration after more than two hours.
He August 27another disturbance in the transmission lines once again separated the eastern provinces and removed the Felton, Nuevitas and Antonio Maceo thermoelectric plants, known as Renté, from the system. On February 4, a failure in Holguín’s high-voltage network isolated Holguín, Granma, Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo, where some 3.4 million people live, and caused the Felton plant to shut down.
According to this newspaper, at least five partial disconnections of the SEN have occurred this year in the country. Added to these are the eight total collapses: the most recent occurred on September 18when the tripping of two transmission lines in the Matanzas area ended up completely disconnecting the national grid.
The successive collapses occur in a system that has been affected for years by the aging of thermoelectric plants, the lack of fuel and the difficulties in carrying out maintenance.
Successive collapses occur in a system affected for years due to the aging of thermoelectric plants, the lack of fuel and the difficulties in carrying out maintenance and repairs.
According to the UNE report this morning, nine of five thermoelectric units remained outside the system. Five of them due to breakdowns: units 1 and 2 of the Santa Cruz plant, 2 of Felton and 3 and 6 of Renté. The other four are due for maintenance: unit 8 in Mariel, unit 3 in Santa Cruz, unit 5 in Nuevitas and unit 5 in Renté. For peak hours, the company anticipated the entry of unit 2 of Santa Cruz, with 80 MW, and unit 6 of Renté, with 50 MW, both in the startup process.
