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The energy crisis in Cuba is deepening its severity with figures that leave no room for doubt. This Saturday, June 29, the country recorded a maximum impact of 1,936 megawatts (MW), marking the worst day of the year and a new record within a series of collapses of the National Electric System (SEN).
According to the official report from the Unión Eléctrica (UNE), the reduction of nearly 2,000 MW occurred at 9:40 PM, during peak demand hours, leaving millions of Cubans without electricity during the most challenging hours of the day.
The interruption of electrical service lasted throughout Saturday and continued to affect the country into the early hours of this Sunday.
At 7:00 in the morning, the actual availability was only 1,625 MW, compared to a national demand of 3,100 MW, resulting in a deficit impact of 1,467 MW. By noon, the UNE forecasted an even greater impact: 1,650 MW.
The technical landscape continues to deteriorate: four key generating units are out of service (Mariel, Nuevitas, and Felton), while three others are undergoing maintenance, with no specific date for their return. Thermal limitations account for 356 MW out of service.
This is compounded by the chronic fuel problem, which keeps 111 distributed generation plants out of service (860 MW), in addition to another 31 MW due to a lack of lubricants. In total, 891 MW are inactive solely due to a lack of resources.
To help alleviate the crisis during the nighttime peak, the UNE plans to bring in some smaller units that would contribute about 292 MW additional capacity, including unit 6 of Mariel, unit 6 of Diez de Octubre, Energás Jaruco, and Varadero, as well as 40 recovered distributed motors.
However, the projection remains catastrophic this Sunday: a deficit of 1,683 MW and an estimated impact of 1,753 MW during peak hours.
The 18 photovoltaic solar parks, although they already generate 1,775 MWh, remain an inadequate patch in the face of a structural crisis with thermal and financial origins.
Cuba is not just in the dark: it is heading towards a total energy collapse, with a regime unable to provide real solutions, while the people endure in the darkness.
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