The province of Sancti Spíritus is suffering from blackouts of up to 20 hours a day “interrupted by two or fewer hours of light, without prior notice” due to a lack of generation and fuel, while the solar parks under construction will not alleviate the crisis in the short term, admitted executives from the provincial Electric Company in a conversation with the official newspaper Escambray.
According to Odeivys Valdés Alba, technical director, and Reinaldo Montero Méndez, head of the cargo office, the province is experiencing a "maximum blackout," attributed to what seems to be a "geographical electrical fatalism" due to its position in the National Electric System (SEN), which relies on transfers from the West and East.
They indicated that the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes thermoelectric plant in Cienfuegos, which has two units, has one out of service, just like Hanabanilla, which regulates the frequency in the electrical system.
In that situation, "if there is consumption here, the voltage drops and the system may fail. For the transfers, the center cannot have large loads; it has to provide limited service, and the transfers are significant because Energás Varadero, which contributes to the central system, is out of service. (The Antonio) Guiteras power plant is the only one that manages to maintain stability in the transfers," Valdés explained.
This is compounded by voltage drops, overload trips, transformer failures, and technical limitations in the lines, which make it difficult to even supply basic services such as protected water pumping stations like Manaquitas and Topes de Collantes. They revealed that they have even had to cut power to water pumping stations and that they are only avoiding shutting down hospitals, for now.
The central territory has 95 primary circuits of which 71 are classified as switchable. With a availability of only five to 10 megawatts (MW) for daily rotation, compared to a demand of around 140-150 MW, there is no capacity to implement organized distribution schemes.
Unlike other provinces that implement predictable rotational schemes—three on, three off; five on, five off—in Sancti Spíritus, the technical conditions and the fragility of the system do not allow for it. When there is not enough energy to maintain even two operational blocks, “you cannot have a logical rotation,” stated the technical director of the Electric Company.
The executives acknowledge that, under these conditions, it is impossible to provide the public with a reliable schedule through channels like Telegram. “We're not throwing away the sofa. We provide the information we can... We can't even say that we'll provide two hours of electricity. Even if you cut 3 MW, they send you back to open it in five minutes, especially when the frequency drops,” he added.
The situation is worsening with the complete halt of distributed generation due to a lack of fuel and oil. Diesel engines and fuel oil units, located in strategic areas such as Trinidad, Yaguajay, or the industrial zone of the provincial capital, have been inactive for days. In total, the unused installed capacity in these locations is around 40 MW, which could significantly alleviate the blackouts if they had the necessary resources.
Emergency generators installed between 2005 and 2007 in vital centers also do not offer a solid guarantee. “There are more than 200, but they suffer from a high level of deterioration... and they're not meant to operate 24 hours,” they stated.
As if that weren’t enough, the "electric islands" that usually activate during national collapse events are also not operating normally today, as the fuel shortage is affecting their activation as well.
The eight solar parks in the province contribute approximately 18 MW, but their generation is fed into the national grid, not directly to the local circuits. New photovoltaic installations under construction will not provide an immediate solution for the people of Sancti Spíritus, as what they contribute “is for the system and the country decides who receives it,” confirmed officials from the Electric Company.
In response to the popular opinion that the more photovoltaic solar parks are inaugurated, the more blackouts occur, officials argued that this cannot be viewed so simply.
“The public only assesses the solar park, but there is less generation and less fuel for distributed generation. Furthermore, the new ones do not generate 21 MW consistently, but rather around eight or 10. The 21 can be obtained at one moment. Additionally, they are still insufficient, and there is a lot of instability in thermal generation,” they noted.
The constant overload of transformers also leads to automatic trips and sudden blackouts. When the population turns on high-consumption equipment simultaneously after long hours without service, it creates spikes that the networks can't support, causing the transformer to fail and the fuse to blow.
In the case of the provincial hospital Camilo Cienfuegos, it was decided to rotate its food supply weekly among three circuits to avoid frequent technical manipulations that had already damaged switches. This measure has forced the extension of the impacts to other residential areas that share those blocks.
When asked about when the situation might start to improve, the executives do not provide any dates or estimates. Everything depends on the reintegration of units under maintenance and the country's ability to import the necessary fuel to reactivate distributed generation.
Meanwhile, in Sancti Spíritus, the only planning that works is that of the permanent blackout. And the only certainty is that there is still no sign, even from a distance, of light at the end of the tunnel.
Recently, Sayli Alba Álvarez, a mother and cultural promoter residing in the city of Yayabo, described through her Facebook profile how blackouts have become customary and the darkness enveloping the city extends beyond just the electrical issues, casting a deep shadow over cultural life, safety, and the future of its youth.
“My city is gone. My city has been erased. I did not see its park, nor my library. My city has died and I have run to hide,” Álvarez declared.
The energy crisis in Cuba is deepening in severity with figures that leave no doubt. This Saturday, June 29, the country reported a maximum impact of 1,936 megawatts (MW), marking the worst day of the year and a new record in a series of collapses of the National Electroenergetic System (SEN).
The Electric Company of Matanzas announced the implementation of several measures to mitigate power outages, but their own statements confirm that disruptions will continue. In the Yumurino territory, cuts of up to 32 consecutive hours have been reported, which has caused discomfort and protests among citizens.
Although several solar parks have been inaugurated in recent months, Cubans are increasingly skeptical and do not perceive “even a slight improvement”. This sentiment is expressed on social media, where they harshly question the real usefulness of these investments. Others sarcastically remark that the solar panels seem to only support the government's narrative, not the needs of the people.
The ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel with the installation of these systems that will generate more than 500 MW of solar energy in the first half of this year. Additionally, he promised that by the end of 2025, 55 solar parks will have been built with a capacity of 1,200 MW.
However, this measure is accompanied by a significant limitation: the lack of batteries to store the generated electricity, which means that solar energy can only be used in real time, during the day, with no possibility of meeting nighttime demand, when consumption is at its highest.
The authorities insist on the promise of
Frequently asked questions about power outages in Sancti Spíritus and the energy crisis in Cuba
Why are there such prolonged blackouts in Sancti Spíritus?
In Sancti Spíritus, power outages of up to 20 hours a day are due to a lack of generation and fuel, as well as the province's position in the National Electric System, which relies on transfers from other regions. Issues in thermal power plants and the lack of resources for distributed generation worsen the situation, making it impossible to implement predictable rotation schemes.
What role do solar parks play in the energy crisis of Sancti Spíritus?
In Sancti Spíritus, the solar parks currently contribute about 18 MW to the National Electric System, but they do not alleviate the local energy crisis in the short term. The generation is integrated into the national system and is not directly allocated to local circuits. Furthermore, the lack of batteries to store energy limits its impact during nighttime hours.
What is the situation of the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes thermoelectric plant and its impact on the energy crisis?
The Carlos Manuel de Céspedes thermoelectric plant in Cienfuegos has one unit out of service due to technical problems, which significantly affects the stability of the electrical system in the central region and contributes to prolonged blackouts. This plant is crucial for frequency regulation, and the lack of maintenance and resources has exacerbated its limited operability.
Why can't power outages be rotated in Sancti Spíritus like in other provinces?
Unlike other provinces, Sancti Spíritus cannot implement power outage rotations due to technical conditions and the fragility of the local electrical system. The energy availability is so low that it does not even allow for the maintenance of two operational blocks, making it impossible to establish a logical and predictable rotation scheme.
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