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Cuba Plunged into Darkness by Power Substation Failure
5 Jul
Summary
- A substation malfunction in Havana caused widespread power outages.
- Two power units, Rente-3 and Felton-1, shut down abruptly.
- Cuba's energy system faces a significant generating capacity shortage.
On July 3 at 8:08 p.m., a malfunction occurred at the Victoria de Giron substation in Havana, Cuba. This incident resulted in significant fluctuations within the national energy system (SEN), leading to the sudden shutdown of the Rente-3 and Felton-1 power units.
The Felton-1 power unit, which had only recently been commissioned and was contributing 50 MW, was adding to the load when the failure occurred. The national energy company of Cuba stated that the SEN is experiencing a severe shortage of generating capacity. This deficit directly caused massive power outages that affected the entire country.
The situation in Cuba has been deteriorating since late January, partly due to US sanctions impacting fuel supplies. By February, Washington had imposed several sanctions packages, deepening the island's crisis. Power outages have become increasingly frequent and prolonged, with many areas receiving only 1-2 hours of electricity daily, and some experiencing blackouts lasting several days.
The lack of electricity is also severely impacting essential services such as gas and water supply, as pumping stations cannot operate without power. Compounding these issues, Cuba is currently experiencing a particularly hot summer season, increasing demand for electricity.
