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(CNN Spanish) --
The Cuban government anticipated this Wednesday that interruptions to the island's electricity supply will continue due to breakdowns in generating units, which caused blackouts for several hours this Tuesday and led to a protest at the state university of the Camaguey province.
According to a statement from the Electric Union of Cuba (UNE), a dependency of the Ministry of Energy and Mines, the breakdowns have caused a deficit in energy generation for which "the service is forecast to be affected throughout the day and night today ".
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The UNE indicated that "all measures to restrict consumption in the state sector are implemented."
Hours before the UNE statement, students from the state University of Camagüey Ignacio Agramonte Loynaz protested the power cuts.
According to press reports and videos circulating on social media, several students gathered in the dark and demanded that power be restored.
The protest ended Tuesday night after power was restored, according to the same reports.
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CNN has not been able to independently verify the videos and reports, and has not received a response from users or the University to requests for comment sent Wednesday.
This is the first time that protests have been reported in this study center due to problems with the electricity supply.
University students, authorities from the Communist Party and the electricity company met this Wednesday to discuss the energy situation on the island and the causes that led to the extension of the previous night's blackout for several hours, reported the government of Camagüey.
In a statement, the provincial government said that "to this day the unfavorable situation in the National Electroenergetic System continues, and average times of 12 hours of affectation are estimated" and apologized to the population for "the difficult energy situation that the country faces."
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This Wednesday, the University added in a statement that during the meeting with state authorities, officials told them that a "group of thermoelectric plants are affected by technological obsolescence and there are other units under maintenance, causes that lead to breakdowns and generation deficits."
Hours before the university protest, the president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, had anticipated during a meeting with governors that "the blackouts are going to continue in the coming days," according to the official Cubadebate media.
This Wednesday, the Cuban presidency reported on Twitter that several power plants were still "out of service" or undergoing "maintenance."
In recent months, the UNE has reported a generation deficit and breakdowns in various plants.
The island's electrical infrastructure is old and poorly maintained, leading to recurring widespread blackouts dating back to the 1990s.
Patrick Oppmann contributed to this report.