The blackouts show no mercy in Cuba. The deficit remains extremely high and power outages of around 1,520 MW are expected during the peak hours this Monday, as revealed by the Electric Union (UNE).
The highest impact on the service yesterday reached 1,397 MW at 6:20 p.m.
At 7:00 a.m. today, the system's availability was 1,750 MW, while the demand reached 2,410 MW, resulting in a deficit of 695 MW.
It is expected that this impact will increase to 1,100 MW at noon.
A total of eight thermoelectric units in the country are out of service due to breakdowns or maintenance.
Four units are out of service: Unit 3 of CTE Santa Cruz; Unit 6 of CTE Renté; and Units 1 and 2 of CTE Felton.
The director of Electricity at the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM), Lázaro Guerra, stated in remarks to Cuban television that unit 3 of the CTE Santa Cruz was reconnected to the national electricity system yesterday but went out of service again the same day, though he did not explain why.
He added that Unit 6 of Renté is expected to be reconnected today, although not during peak demand hours.
Regarding Felton 1, whose departure from the SEN caused the chaos of recent days, it was noted that the problem it faced has not yet been identified and that "based on the diagnosis," the number of days it will need to remain offline will be determined.
Four other units are under maintenance: unit 2 of the CTE Santa Cruz; units 3 and 4 of the CTE Cienfuegos; and unit 5 of the CTE Renté.
Due to thermal restrictions, 293 MW are out of service. There are a total of 55 fuel-free generation plants, which accounts for another 330 MW.
However, in the coming hours, a recovery of 80 MW in distributed generation is expected, which is currently out of service due to fuel issues.
Peak hour forecast
With this forecast, system availability would reach 1,830 MW during peak hours, while the expected maximum demand is 3,280 MW, resulting in a deficit of 1,450 MW.
If these conditions persist, the impact could reach 1,520 MW during peak hours.
Blackouts in Havana
The Electric Company of the capital has informed its users that, due to the generation deficit in the National Electric System, scheduled outages will take place in Havana today according to the following plan:
Blocks #1 and #2: 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Block #4: 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Block # 3: 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
A crisis without a solution
The Cuban government has resorted to temporary solutions in recent years to alleviate its energy crisis, but these have failed to address the structural problem facing the country.
They even rented up to eight floating power plants from a Turkish company, a quick but costly measure. However, five of these infrastructures left the country last year, making the already deteriorated national electrical system even more vulnerable.
The constant breakdowns of the outdated thermoelectric power plants, which have been in operation for decades without adequate investment for their maintenance, are compounded by a lack of fuel
Various estimates indicate that between 8 billion and 10 billion dollars would be needed to modernize the National Electric System, an investment that is beyond the reach of the Cuban government.
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