Blackouts show no respite: Generation deficit approaches 1400 MW in Cuba

The Electric Union (UNE) reported on Saturday that the National Electric Service (SEN) continues to face challenges in meeting electricity demand, affecting the supply throughout the 24 hours of yesterday and extending into the early hours of today.

The maximum impact recorded from generation deficits reached 1,430 MW on Friday at 7:10 PM, without coinciding with peak hours. Additionally, 4 MW were reported affected in Guantánamo due to the hurricane's passage, the note posted on Facebook stated.

The situation does not seem to improve this Saturday, when the UNE projects an estimated availability of 1,795 MW for peak hours, with a projected demand of 3,100 MW, resulting in a deficit of 1,305 MW.

A total impact of 1,375 MW is forecasted during peak hours, primarily affecting the central-eastern region of the country, due to the number of power plants that are out of service or lacking fuel.

At 07:00 hours on Saturday, the available capacity of the National Electric System (SEN) was 1,695 MW, while the demand reached 2,360 MW.

This resulted in a deficit of 723 MW, leading to blackouts in much of the island.

The Electric Company indicates that several thermal power plants are affected, including CTE Mariel, unit 5; CTE Santa Cruz, unit 3; CTE Cienfuegos, unit 4; CTE Nuevitas, unit 5; and CTE Felton, unit 2; all of which are out of service due to breakdowns.

The following power plants are out of service for maintenance: CTE Santa Cruz, unit 2; CTE Cienfuegos, unit 3; CTE Felton, unit 1; and CTE Renté, unit 5.

Another 62 distributed generation plants are out of service due to a lack of fuel, resulting in a loss of 269 MW. Additionally, four engines at the Moa Plant (50 MW) and four at the Santiago de Cuba barge (64 MW) remain inactive, contributing to a total deficit of 383 MW in distributed generation.

The situation of the Cuban electricity network is so critical that on Friday multiple emergency outages were reported in areas such as Havana and Villa Clara, where out of 164 circuits, 162 were down.