The Electric Company of Havana (EELH) reported this Friday that it continues to work on the rehabilitation of the Apolo Substation, which was affected by an electrical discharge that caused a fire and left extensive areas of the Cuban capital without service.
According to the entity's announcement on Facebook, a specialized multidisciplinary team continues to work tirelessly at the damaged facility.
"Progress is being made on the rehabilitation efforts (...) Currently, work is underway to restore the power plant service to achieve direct current, and thus begin testing the entire protection and control scheme of the circuit breakers," stated the EELH.
Hours earlier, the company had explained that the lightning strike caused a fire at the substation, resulting in significant damage to several pieces of equipment and system components.
"It continues to work towards gradually restoring electrical service as quickly as possible, with a minimal framework," it noted in its initial statement.
The incident at Apolo is part of a series of failures that has revealed the extreme fragility of the electrical system in the capital.
On Thursday, a failure attributed to a lightning strike caused the shutdown of multiple high voltage substations such as Naranjito, Apolo, Melones, San Agustín, Talla Piedra, and Príncipe, and left a large part of the city practically in a general blackout for the second time in less than 24 hours.
Hours earlier, the official journalist Lázaro Manuel Alonso reported a first failure that occurred in the early morning on the 110 kV line of the Melones truck, which caused that plant to go offline and, along with it, the disconnection of other key infrastructures such as unit 5 of the Mariel thermoelectric plant, the Boca de Jaruco site, and a unit of Energás Varadero.
"In total, 400 MW were affected all at once," emphasized the journalist.
The crisis added to the generation deficit, which that day reached a deficit of 1,947 MW at 8:20 PM, during peak hours, according to the Electric Union.
In response to the system collapse, the province adopted a new block redistribution scheme, aimed, according to the Electric Company, at balancing the load and reducing damage to overloaded transformers to "decrease the average time of disruption due to energy shortages."
"The strategy will ensure that at least one day does not affect a block," the company announced in another post.
For weeks now, Havana has been experiencing blackouts that are much longer than what the official schedule indicates.
At the end of June, the company itself confirmed that the outages lasted up to 19 hours a day, despite the schedule indicating only eight.
Hundreds of Havana residents complain daily online about the instability of the service, unexpected power outages, and the lack of effective response from the authorities.
For now, the population can only hope that the work at the Apolo substation will be completed as soon as possible and that power will be restored in the affected municipalities before the end of the weekend.
Preguntas frecuentes sobre el apagón en La Habana y la crisis energética en Cuba
What caused the widespread blackout in Havana?
The general blackout in Havana was caused by an electrical discharge that affected the Apolo Substation, leading to a fire and significant damage to the system. This adds to a series of failures in the city's electrical network, highlighting the system's fragility. The Electric Company of Havana is working on the rehabilitation and restoration of the service.
What is the impact of the energy deficit in Cuba?
The energy deficit in Cuba has reached historical records, with over 2,000 MW missing during peak hours. This deficit has caused prolonged blackouts that affect the daily lives of Cubans, interrupting basic services such as water supply and telecommunications, and increasing frustration among the population.
How are Cuban authorities responding to the energy crisis?
Cuban authorities have implemented a new scheme for redistributing power outages in an attempt to balance the electrical load. "Microsystems" are also being developed to provide energy to specific areas, although these solutions have been insufficient to effectively stabilize the power supply.
What role do thermoelectric plants play in the energy crisis in Cuba?
Thermal power plants are a fundamental yet critical part of the Cuban electricity system due to their age and lack of maintenance. Many of these plants have been in operation for over 40 years and face constant malfunctions, which significantly contributes to the energy collapse in the country.
What are the prospects for the future of the electricity system in Cuba?
The future of the electrical system in Cuba is uncertain and requires significant transformation, including investments in infrastructure and a review of the economic model. However, the short-term outlook is discouraging, as the authorities have not provided concrete solutions to mitigate the crisis, and prolonged blackouts continue to affect the population.
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