Power outages continue in Cuba due to a deficit of over 1,000 MW.

After a day with reports of blackouts lasting over 20 hours in several provinces, the Cuban Electric Union (UNE) forecasts an impact of 1,081 MW this Thursday due to maintenance work at several thermoelectric power plants (CTE) and fuel shortages.

In the daily report published on Facebook, the organization reported that the availability of the National Electric System at 07:00 hours was 2,089 MW, and the demand was 2,780 MW, with 784 MW affected by generation capacity deficit.

That being said, he estimated a maximum impact of 950 MW during daylight hours. However, the outlook is not very encouraging for nighttime hours: "A peak hour availability of 2,389 MW and a maximum demand of 3,400 MW are estimated, resulting in a deficit of 1,011 MW. Therefore, if the forecasted conditions persist, an impact of 1,081 MW is projected for this timeframe."

In the note, signed also by the Ministry of Energy and Mines, the institutions inform that unit 8 of the CTE Mariel and unit 2 of the CTE Felton are out of service, while unit 5 of the CTE Mariel, units 1 and 3 of the CTE Santa Cruz, and unit 1 of the CTE Felton are undergoing maintenance.

Furthermore, a total of 47 distributed generation plants and the Melones barge are out of service due to fuel, for a total of 487 MW affected by this issue.

Almost as a sigh of relief, and as the only encouraging news, they stated that for "peak (time), the entry of power engines from the Distributed Generation that are currently out of order due to fuel with 80 MW is estimated, the entry of 8 engines with 140 MW in the Melones barge, and the entry of Unit 8 of the Mariel CTE with 80 MW (in the starting process)."

The UNE announced this Wednesday that the absence of service will increase during June due to maintenance work in several plants, although the government clarified that they are trying to avoid nighttime blackouts in Havana, which will only occur "in case of emergencies" after several protests in the capital.

As has been reported from January to June, maintenance activities at the Thermal Power Plants, Energy, and Distributed Generation are increasing with the aim of reaching the months of highest consumption and electrical demand, which are July and August, months when the population is also resting," explains a note posted by the entity on Facebook.

In a space broadcast on YouTube and under his leadership, the president Miguel Díaz-Canel admitted that there are no guarantees that the summer months will pass without disruptions in the electricity service.

He reiterated that power outages will increase this month and next due to the increase in maintenance work at the thermoelectric power plants, in an effort to ensure service in July and August.

Everything happens in an extremely hot month of May. This Thursday, for example, the afternoon will have maximum temperatures between 33 and 36 degrees Celsius, higher in some areas of the interior, mainly in the west and center. At night, the thermometers will be between 25 and 28 degrees, according to the Meteorological Institute forecast.