Cuba's Electric Union (UNE) reported that only three thermoelectric units are out of service this Saturday, although this does not mean an improvement for Cuban households, which will continue to suffer prolonged power outages, with a forecast of 725 MW during peak hours.
According to the report shared on the entity's Facebook profile, the 5th unit of the Rente Thermal Power Plant (CTE), the 3rd unit of the Santa Cruz CTE, and the 2nd unit of the Felton CTE are out of operation due to issues. The same units were not operational on Friday.
In addition, 49 distributed generation plants, six more than the previous day, are out of service due to a lack of fuel, which represents 540 MW affected, and there are limitations in thermal generation amounting to 538 MW, above the previous day.
Precisely, on Friday the service was restored at 7:48 a.m. and experienced further disturbances starting at 10:20 a.m., which persisted throughout the early hours of Saturday. The maximum disruption was 723 MW at 10:50 p.m.
This Saturday, the UNE executives estimate that for the peak, nine motors from the Melones truck will become operational with 150 MW and the recovery of 60 MW that are out of service due to lack of fuel.
They also forecast a capacity of 2,495 MW and a maximum demand of 3,150 MW during peak hours, resulting in a deficit of 655 MW. Thus, if the expected conditions persist, a shortfall of 725 MW is anticipated during this time.
This week, the Cuban government distanced itself from the responsibility for the duration and frequency of the blackouts, stating that the schedule and adjustments are made at the provincial level.
In a confusing explanation about how the "impacts" at the national level are calculated based on the deficit in generation capacity and the forecasted demand, Vicente De la O Levy, Minister of Energy and Mines, stated that the distribution by provinces is carried out based on which circuits can be turned off and which cannot, depending on local priorities and particularities.
The official himself has acknowledged the government's failed strategy to prevent blackouts in the summer.
According to the executive, during the first half of the year, the planned maintenance was carried out, which anticipated causing disruptions of around four hours from January to June 30.
"What was not fulfilled was the issue of the hours we had planned. What happened? That along with the maintenance load we had anticipated, there were significant impacts this semester regarding fuel," said De la O Levy during the televised Round Table broadcast last Wednesday.
"There were significant impacts regarding fuel, especially in the months of March, May, and some days in June," added the official, who admitted that power outages lasted "up to 12 hours in some places."
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