Guantánamo – Hurricane Melissa caused a significant power outage in eastern Cuba, leaving several provinces disconnected from the National Electric System (SEN), or with very limited power, while the country undertakes a complex and multifaceted recovery effort.
Currently, the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, and Guantánamo remain completely disconnected from the SEN, they are switched on small microsystems to supply their vital infrastructure.
Although Holguín and Las Tunas achieved partial reconnection to the electrical system, the service is precarious and very limited. This restriction is due to the shutdown of Unit 1 at the Felton thermoelectric plant—which had been synchronized on Sunday—and the Moa fuel oil generators, which also went offline.
Lázaro Guerra Hernández, Director of Electricity at the Ministry of Energy and Mines, confirmed that the electrical load served in these provinces is “low and very limited,” preventing circuit rotation.
The full integration of these territories into the National Electric System (SEN) is hampered by the critical need to certify and repair the damaged transmission and distribution lines. This task is arduous due to the difficult access to mountainous areas and the persistent humidity following the hurricane, factors that complicate the work and require maximum caution to avoid further damage.
