The energy crisis in Cuba continues relentlessly. This Tuesday, July 1st, the Electric Union (UNE) confirmed that the National Electric System (SEN) remained affected throughout the 24 hours of Monday and the early hours of today, with a deficit that even exceeded official predictions.
According to the technical report published by the state-owned company, the highest impact on Monday was 1,759 megawatts (MW) at 9:00 p.m., a value that exceeded the initially announced figure by nearly 200 MW.
The delay in the schedule was due to the failure to bring online units 5 of the thermal power plants in Mariel and Nuevitas, as well as the unexpected shutdown of unit 6 of Energás Jaruco, leaving the country in a critical situation just as summer began.
For the peak night hours this Tuesday, the UNE estimates an availability of only 1,995 MW against a projected demand of 3,500 MW, resulting in a deficit of 1,505 MW and a forecasted impact of up to 1,575 MW, if no new failures occur.
At the beginning of the hour, the availability of the SEN was 1,830 MW compared to a demand of 3,010 MW, resulting in a shortfall of 1,217 MW due to capacity deficit. For the half-hour mark, a shortfall of 1,150 MW is anticipated.
Renewable energy sources also fail to mitigate the collapse: the 18 installed photovoltaic solar plants only generated 1,504 megawatt-hours this Monday, peaking at 318 MW around noon, a marginal figure compared to the total national demand.
The technical outlook shows no signs of improvement. Unit 5 in Mariel, Unit 5 in Nuevitas, and Unit 2 in Felton remain out of service due to breakdowns, while three other plants—in Santa Cruz, Cienfuegos, and Renté—are shut down for maintenance.
Thermal limitations are keeping 352 MW offline, and the shortage of fuel and lubricants continues to paralyze 97 distributed generation plants (860 MW) and another 30 MW due to a lack of oil.
With summer just beginning, the outlook is bleak: the energy crisis is worsening, and real solutions remain absent.
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