Cuba's Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, spoke out this Wednesday regarding the critical situation of the National Electric System (SEN), which has been plagued by constant blackouts. He asserted that the fuel that could alleviate the crisis "is in Cuban ports," but has not yet been unloaded.
The official journalist Lázaro Manuel Alonso shared on Facebook the statements made by the head of the department, ironically during the inauguration of the Third International Renewable Energy Fair.
Vicente de la O Levy stated that the fuel "is in Cuban ports on the ships" and that a solution for its discharge will soon be found, all while the population continues to endure daily blackouts and a generation deficit that exceeded 1,300 MW this Tuesday.
The minister noted that, in a "financial sacrifice by the country," plans are in place to unload the fuel between this Wednesday and Thursday, highlighting as a significant achievement the fact that "large sums of money are paid weekly."
Despite the "good news," the long-awaited relief will take time to arrive, as the head of the department clarified that "after the unloading, the process of transporting to the generators and service centers will begin."
Additionally, Vicente de la O Levy attempted to justify the crisis by stating that "Cuba consumes 3,000 tons of hydrocarbons daily. A 20,000-ton ship can supply for one week. Two or three ships are needed over seven days to provide diesel, gasoline, liquefied gas, fuel oil, and turbo fuel," something that, according to him, is impossible due to the "restricted" state of the Cuban economy, leaving no room for hope of improvement.
In addition to the fuel shortage, the worsening of the current crisis in the National Electric System is marked by the shutdown of several generating units due to breakdowns.
According to the Ministry of Energy, the Mariel 8 thermal power plant in Artemisa is expected to resume operations this Thursday, while the Diez de Octubre 5 unit in Camagüey could be ready in four or five days after repairing leaks in its boiler.
However, the Céspedes 4 thermoelectric power plant in Cienfuegos was unable to come online this Tuesday, and La Habana 1 in Mayabeque is expected to resume operations on Friday after repairs to its pipes.
The energy crisis is deepening in Cuba, where power outages are lasting longer each day across all provinces.
This Wednesday at 7:00 AM, the availability of the National Electroenergetic System (SEN) was 1830 MW, with a demand of 2790 MW, resulting in an impact of 959 MW. By noon, a greater disruption was estimated, reaching 1150 MW.
During peak hours, the deficit will be 1,320 MW, with an impact of 1,390 MW.
Six units from the power plants in Mariel, Santa Cruz, Nuevitas, Felton, and Rente are out of service.
Additionally, 59 distributed generation plants are out of service due to a lack of fuel (affecting 582 MW), and the limitations in thermal generation amount to 424 MW.
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