During the month of August 2024, Cuba has experienced a severe energy crisis, marked by frequent blackouts and an inability of the system to meet the increasing electricity demand.
Despite government promises to improve the situation during the summer, the National Electro-Energy System (SEN) has shown constant fragility.
Since the beginning of the month, significant interruptions in the electricity supply have been recorded. On August 4, the maximum impact reached 480 MW during peak hours, reflecting the lack of generation capacity and fuel problems that hindered any viable solution amid the energy crisis.
The situation worsened on August 10, when seven thermoelectric units went out of service, raising the impact to 610 MW due to breakdowns at several key plants.
On August 14, the SEN became even more complicated with blackouts reaching 832 MW, attributed to unforeseen turbine outages at Energás, which demonstrated the difficulty of stabilizing the service during the summer despite promises of improvements.
Shortly after, on August 17, Cuba's Electric Union (UNE) anticipated that demand would continue to exceed generation capacity, which was confirmed when the disruptions reached 833 MW, with a deficit that was expected to keep increasing, worsening the situation for citizens.
The severity of the crisis became even more evident on August 22, when "solidarity blackouts" were implemented in Havana, reflecting a record deficit of 1,305 MW and highlighting the government's inability to manage the crisis amid the growing frustration of the population.
On August 23, the shutdown of seven thermoelectric units due to malfunctions caused the impact to reach an alarming figure of 1,245 MW, leaving a large part of the country without electric service for the entire day due to failures in the generating plants.
On August 26, it seemed that things were improving when the UNE reported an impact of 529 MW due to fuel shortages and maintenance issues that persisted throughout the month.
However, on August 28 and 29, the shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant worsened the crisis again, with blackouts that could reach 850 MW, highlighting the inability to resolve the failures in the system and causing prolonged interruptions.
In the past three years, August has been a month marked by the deterioration of the electrical system in Cuba, with severe blackouts affecting the daily lives of citizens.
The energy crisis leaves the population in a state of growing despair. The authorities are unable to stabilize the electricity supply, creating an unsustainable situation that in previous years has even led to protests in the streets.
The promises of improvements have turned into empty words while the electrical system collapses and fuel is scarce, deepening social discontent.
Discomfort, precariousness, and uncertainty loom over the future of millions of Cubans, who see how their lives are at the mercy of a crumbling system with no solution in sight.
What do you think?
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