The Electric Company of Havana announced this Tuesday that, due to the current situation of the National Electric System (SEN), it will be necessary to interrupt the electricity service "for emergency" in the capital on November 5th, affecting three of the four sectors into which Havana's population is divided.
The impacts will be carried out as follows:
Blocks 1 and 2: The service interruption will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Block 4: The suspension will take place from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The Electric Company of Havana took the opportunity to urge the public to moderate their electricity consumption.
"The population is urged to use electricity rationally in order to reduce consumption in the province, avoid network overloads, and prevent service interruptions," they concluded.
In a more recent announcement, the Electricity Company stated that in light of "the heavy rain and winds forecasted for the coming hours, associated with Tropical Storm Rafael, the Provincial Command Center is now activated."
The state entity announced six phone numbers where one can report breakdowns or service interruptions.
It is expected that in the coming hours, Tropical Storm Rafael will strengthen to reach category 1 or 2 hurricane status before making landfall in Cuban territory, a situation that heightens concerns among Cubans regarding the vulnerability of the national electrical system (SEN).
The precarious and inadequate service restored after the recent total collapse of the National Electric System is once again facing the threat of weather factors such as hurricane winds and rain, which could jeopardize the country's electrical infrastructure.
As Rafael moves toward the west of Cuba and continues to strengthen, fear is growing among the population about a repeat of what happened with Hurricane Oscar, which made landfall during the major blackout that lasted over three days, leaving the vast majority of the population without electricity, television, or internet, barely connected by radio.
For this Tuesday, the Electric Union of Cuba (UNE) forecasted “a power availability of 1,730 MW and a maximum demand of 3,100 MW, resulting in a deficit of 1,370 MW. If the expected conditions persist, a disruption of 1,440 MW is anticipated during this time, with a greater impact in the central-eastern region.”
Cuba awaits the arrival of Rafael with an electricity supply that barely meets half of the country's demand, and this situation is felt more acutely in the eastern region.
With the focus on the weather phenomenon, concerns are growing about what might happen to the country's main thermoelectric plant, the Antonio Guiteras in Matanzas, on which the precarious National Electricity System relies.
In this context, four thermal power generation units are currently "out of service": unit 5 of the Mariel Power Plant, unit 5 of the Nuevitas Power Plant, unit 2 of the Felton Power Plant, and unit 3 of the Rente Power Plant.
In addition, four other units are "under maintenance" (unit 2 of the Santa Cruz power station, unit 3 of the Cienfuegos power station, unit 1 of the Felton power station, and unit 5 of the Renté power station).
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