Summer in Cuba continues with blackouts: What about the maintenance of the thermoelectric plants?

Starting this Thursday, the Electric Union forecasts over 700 MW of outages.

Apagón en Cuba (imagen de referencia) © Captura de video / Martí Noticias
Blackout in Cuba (reference image)Photo © Video capture / Martí Noticias

After the first week of August, massive blackouts continue in Cuba, despite the strategy of the government of Miguel Díaz-Canel, which promised a summer with more stability in the electricity supply thanks to the maintenance carried out in the thermoelectric plants during the first six months of the year.

With hope for a summer with fewer power outages, Cubans endured frequent and prolonged blackouts from January to June, listening to their leaders promise a recovery of the installed capacity thanks to the repairs and maintenance carried out.

However, the strategy failed, and during July, and so far in August, Cubans have endured bouts of intense and massive blackouts that have further complicated the lives of citizens overwhelmed by the heat, scarcity, water shortages, and all the other problems that proliferate in the country due to the incompetence of the "continuity" government.

Facebook screenshot / UNE

For this Thursday, "a capacity of 2,476 MW is expected during peak hours and a maximum demand of 3,150 MW, resulting in a deficit of 674 MW, so if the forecasted conditions persist, an impact of 744 MW is anticipated during this time," indicated the Unión Eléctrica de Cuba (UNE) on its social media.

According to the information note from the state-owned company led by Alfredo López Valdés, the service was disrupted on the eve "due to a generation capacity deficit from 07:00 in the morning until 02:33 hours this Thursday." The maximum impact of the day was 725 MW.

"Demagoguery and verbiage is what is wasted in this country. Promises, forecasts, strategies, efforts, all, all with no results. Government of Cuba, what is it that the people cannot see? Cubans are already fed up with so much rhetoric to disguise the economic impotence and the decline of this country, which shows evidence of it every day," commented a Cuban internet user on UNE's social media.

"Now they make up the year-end strategy, more blackouts and zero results. They need to ensure availability only for the untouchables. The others, what does it matter? They only serve to take away the few resources they have, to benefit those same untouchables," said another.

"But, is this the summer they were going to guarantee? Two months with over 20 hours of daily blackouts for this? Dissolve this ministry and let's go back to primitive community, as there is no other solution here," protested a third person.

"I don't understand anything. They worked many months for a happy summer and it hasn't been that way. There are many blackouts in the central provinces. In Havana, they don’t get rid of them. We are stubborn; analyze the situation, we are human," commented a disillusioned user.

"The strategy outlined for the summer was a total success. Now the strategy for the end of the year begins, and then for next summer... and the result remains astounding: NONE," observed one of the many Cubans who protested in the comments of the UNE's post.

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