The energy crisis in Cuba continues without noticeable improvement, despite the return of the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Power Plant to the National Electric System (SEN) at full capacity this Monday, following an initial return on Saturday that was marked by some issues.
The report from the Electric Union (UNE) this Tuesday is extremely discouraging: on Monday, Cubans experienced 1,614 MW of outages and today they should anticipate at least 1,460 MW of interruptions during the nighttime.
Yesterday was marked by prolonged power outages that began at 4:48 a.m. and extended until 3:27 a.m. today.
However, just 105 minutes after the restoration, at 5:12 a.m., service interruptions affected users again.
The maximum impact, of 1,614 MW, occurred at 6:40 p.m.
At 7:00 a.m. on this Tuesday, the generation availability was 1,800 MW, while the demand rose to 2,200 MW, resulting in an immediate deficit of 418 MW. It is expected that by noon, the shortfall will increase to 900 MW.
Currently, there are six thermoelectric units out of service due to breakdown or maintenance.
Two units are out of service: unit 1 of the Santa Cruz CTE and unit 2 of the Felton CTE.
Units 2 of the Santa Cruz CTE, Units 3 and 4 of the Cienfuegos CTE, and Unit 5 of the Renté CTE are under maintenance.
Due to thermal limitations, there are 390 MW out of service, while there are 56 distributed generation plants offline due to fuel shortages, resulting in a loss of 333 MW.
This means that, in addition to the issues with the aging thermal power plants, the lack of fuel continues to be the regime's main obstacle in addressing the country's energy demand.
Forecast for peak hours
It is expected that 80 MW will be recovered from distributed generation motors that are currently offline due to a lack of fuel, as well as the reactivation of a unit from the CTE Santa Cruz with a generation capacity of 80 MW.
With these additions, it is estimated that availability will increase to 1,960 MW, but the projected maximum demand would reach 3,350 MW.
This would create a deficit of 1,390 MW and a potential impact of up to 1,460 MW during nighttime hours.
Scheduled blackouts in Havana
Given the critical situation of the SEN, the Electric Company of Havana has announced scheduled interruptions in service for this Monday:
-Blocks #1 and #2: From 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
-Block #3: From 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
-Block #4: From 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
The return of the CTE Guiteras to the system has not resulted in a tangible improvement for consumers, reflecting the depth of the electrical crisis facing the country.
With a deteriorated thermoelectric power plant, recurring maintenance issues, and a chronic fuel shortage, the stability of the SEN remains a challenge with no immediate solutions in sight.
Meanwhile, the Cuban population faces another day of extended blackouts with no clear hope for improvement.
UPDATE:
Shortly after nine in the morning on this Tuesday, Felton 1 went offline from the National Electric System due to a malfunction, further complicating the blackout forecasts for February 11.
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