UNE
Cuba's state electricity grid operator; managing chronic deficit of over 1,000 MW in 2026
Last refreshed: 27 April 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
How does Cuba's power company decide which parts of the island go dark each day?
Timeline for UNE
Guiteras fails again, deficit hits 1,680 MW
Cuba DispatchAllocated restored grid capacity to Havana, leaving eastern provinces without relief
Cuba Dispatch: Havana lit four days, east held at 24-hour outagesRefinery restart cuts grid deficit to 1,395 MW
Cuba Dispatch- How bad is Cuba's electricity crisis in 2026?
- Cuba's UNE recorded a peak deficit of 1,732 MW in April 2026. After the Cienfuegos refinery restarted on Russian crude, the deficit dropped to 1,395 MW. Havana got power for four days while eastern provinces remained on 24-hour blackouts.Source: event
- Why does Havana have electricity when the rest of Cuba does not?
- UNE manages rolling blackouts by priority; Havana is given precedence for political stability reasons. Eastern provinces like Holguín absorb the longest outages. In April 2026, Havana was restored for four days while the east remained on 24-hour cuts.Source: event
- What is the UNE electricity forecast for Cuba?
- UNE publishes a daily generation forecast listing how many megawatts of demand will go unmet. Provincial authorities use it to schedule rolling blackouts. The April 2026 forecast showed a 1,395 MW deficit after the Cienfuegos refinery restarted.Source: event
Background
UNE (Unión Eléctrica Nacional) is Cuba's state-owned national electricity company, responsible for generation, transmission, and distribution across the island. UNE operates a fleet of ageing thermal power stations, a small hydro capacity, and a growing diesel-generation sector. The organisation publishes a daily generation forecast that has become a closely watched public indicator of Cuba's energy crisis: the forecast lists how many megawatts of demand will go unmet and is used by provincial authorities to schedule rolling blackouts. UNE's chronic capacity shortfall — caused by fuel shortages, equipment deterioration, and lack of investment — has produced daily outages ranging from four hours in Havana to over twenty hours in eastern provinces. The company is part of the state energy sector nominally overseen by the Ministry of Energy and Mines.
In April 2026, UNE recorded a peak deficit of 1,732 MW when the Camilo Cienfuegos refinery was offline. The restart of that facility on Russian crude brought the deficit down to 1,395 MW, as announced by Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy. UNE's figures underpinned the geographic inequality story: Havana experienced four days of restored power, while eastern provinces including Holguín remained on 24-hour blackout rotations. The deficit data was also central to the Senate war-powers debate, which cited UNE's published shortfall figures as evidence of Cuba's structural vulnerability.
