The Electric Company of Santiago de Cuba announced on Monday that it will attempt to ensure at least five hours of electricity per day as part of a temporary strategy, although it warned that this time could be less due to the limited availability of the National Electric System (SEN).
In the statement, the company explained that the service will be distributed in different time blocks throughout the day, always dependent on generating capacity.
The strategy aims for "each circuit to have at least 5 to 6 hours of service per day, distributed throughout the day," the note indicated.
"When the deficit exceeds the load of the circuits in service, even those with critical points will be affected in order to avoid prolonging the interruption time in the other circuits," he added.
The new rotation "will be used to provide electric service to the population, as long as the complex energy situation the country is currently facing improves," stated the announcement, without mentioning when it will be implemented or, much less, how long it will last, highlighting the worsening of the crisis.
Furthermore, they acknowledged that, given the current circumstances, it is impossible to maintain the block rotation that had been operational until now, which will increase uncertainty and discomfort for the population.
The statement from the Electric Company confirms a recent announcement by Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, the first secretary of the Communist Party (PCC) in Santiago de Cuba, which warned that the provincial government would only guarantee electricity service for three to four hours a day.
Johnson stated that the blackouts are due to the tense situation of the National Electroenergetic System (SEN) and urged the people of Santiago to show "empathy."
After a black Sunday in Cuba, where the electricity supply was affected for 24 hours due to a generation capacity deficit, the people start Monday with a forecast of more power outages, in a crisis that seems endless.
According to the report from the Electric Union (UNE), the highest impact on Sunday was 1,348 MW (slightly less than the forecast of 1,421 MW) at 6:30 PM.
The service remained disrupted throughout the night. At peak demand, it had affected 134 MW due to the damages caused by Hurricane Rafael to the power grids (40 MW in Pinar del Río and 94 MW in Artemisa).
For this Monday, it is estimated that there will be generation deficits of 478 MW in the morning, 750 MW in the early afternoon, and 1,399 MW during peak hours.
The energy crisis in Cuba, which has worsened in recent years, continues to impact the population with prolonged blackouts, a shortage of fuel for cooking, and a climate of uncertainty in one of the most affected provinces of the country, due to weather events and even recent earthquakes.
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