Blackouts increase in Cuba after a brief period of relative stability in the electricity supply

The hours of power outage have increased again in Cuba after several days of relative stability in April, during which no generation deficits or scheduled impacts were reported.

This Monday, “an availability of 2,388 MW and a maximum demand of 2,800 MW are estimated for peak hour, for a deficit of 412 MW, so if the expected conditions continue, an impact of 482 MW is forecast at this time,” indicated the Electrical Union of Cuba (UNE) in its social networks.

However, the state company's forecasts usually fall short compared to what happens in reality, where Cubans suffer blackouts whose duration and frequency are higher than estimates.

Although the entrance to the Guiteras de Matanzas thermoelectric plant (after days out of service for maintenance), added to the arrival of ships with fuel from Russia and Mexico, contributed to a relative improvement in the electricity supply, the truth is that the situation threatens to return to the critical levels of before.

After three days without reported blackouts, in the second week of April the UNE announced power cuts due to a deficit of 250 MW. Until the 18th, the effects remained below 200 MW, but since then they have been increasing progressively.

For the 19th they predicted supply cuts of around 355 MW. However, the next day the UNE recognized that the damage reached 621 MW. For this Sunday, the forecast indicated damages of 380 MW, but this Monday it recognized that they reached 736 MW.

Apparently, not even the 60,000 tons of oil which the tanker Nordic unloaded at the beginning of April, not even the 90,000 thousand tons that a ship of Russian origin unloaded at the end of March (both in the port of Matanzas) managed to reinforce the Cuban regime's strategy to face the fuel deficit it suffers.

“Current and food!”the Cubans shouted during the protests of March 17 and 18. The cry was heard particularly in the eastern region of the country, usually most affected by blackouts and the supply of food for the basic basket.

Hours after these protests, Guiteras synchronized the national electrical energy system (SEN). However, the Cuban regime warned that this would not solve the problem of blackouts in the country, marked by the fuel crisis. And, surprise!: he was right in his prediction..