Cuba's Electric Union (UNE) announced scheduled blackouts for this Tuesday due to a generation capacity deficit exceeding 1,100 MW.
In addition to the severe damage caused by Hurricane Rafael and the earthquakes in the western and eastern regions, there are also breakdowns and maintenance issues in five thermoelectric plants.
Six days after the hurricane passed, 158 MW are still affected due to the electrical network damage caused by the phenomenon (Artemisa 125 MW, Havana 10 MW, and Mayabeque 14 MW).
According to the daily report, at 7:00 am this Wednesday, there were 381 MW affected by a generation deficit. By noon, the figure is expected to rise to 750 MW, and during peak hours, an impact of 1,168 MW is forecasted.
On Tuesday, efforts continued to restore the western region of the National Electric System (SEN). At 9:44 PM, the electrical system was interconnected from Pinar del Río to Guantánamo.
The service was disrupted for 24 hours, with the highest impact reaching 1,047 MW at 6:40 PM, coinciding with peak demand, concentrated in the provinces from Matanzas to Guantánamo. The disruption continued throughout the early hours of today.
Five units from the thermoelectric plants Mariel, Cienfuegos, Felton, and Renté are experiencing breakdowns. Additionally, three blocks from the CTE Renté, Santa Cruz, and Cienfuegos are undergoing maintenance.
Meanwhile, a unit of the Mariel thermoelectric plant remains out of service due to low water levels.
A total of 37 distributed generation plants with 130 MW and the Santiago de Cuba plant with 67 MW (197 MW in total) are currently out of service due to fuel issues, and there are 368 MW in thermal generation limitations.
Six days after Hurricane Rafael swept through western Cuba, only 2% of the Artemisa province has electricity.
According to the report on Monday during the National Defense Council of Civil Defense, the electrical situation remains "very complex" despite the deployment of brigades from other regions to bolster repair efforts.
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