Unrelenting electricity crisis: a deficit of over 1,700 MW will hit peak hours in Cuba

The National Electric System (SEN) began this Friday with availability well below demand, carrying over issues from yesterday that extended throughout the night, with a forecast for peak hours that anticipates a deficit exceeding 1,700 MW and an increasingly unstable service.

La Unión Eléctrica reported that on Thursday the maximum impact due to capacity deficit was 1,611 MW at 10:00 PM, a peak that did not even coincide with the time of highest consumption.

The blackouts were greater than anticipated due to the unexpected shutdown of unit 5 in Nuevitas (Camagüey) and unit 3 in Renté (Santiago de Cuba).

The 25 new photovoltaic solar parks contributed 2,674 MWh, with a peak of 451 MW during peak hours, a figure insufficient to reverse the crisis.

At 6:00 AM today, the availability of the National Electric System was 2,000 MW against a demand of 3,150 MW, resulting in a deficit of 1,175 MW.

For the half day, an impact of 1,100 MW is estimated.

Among the incidents are breakdowns in units 8 of the Mariel Thermoelectric Power Plant (CTE) in Artemisa, 5 in Nuevitas, 3 in Renté, and 2 in Felton (Holguín), as well as maintenance work on unit 2 in Santa Cruz del Norte (Mayabeque), unit 4 in Cienfuegos, and unit 5 in Renté.

In addition, there are 340 MW offline due to thermal limitations, and 57 distributed generation plants are halted due to a lack of fuel, representing a decrease of 368 MW.

During peak hours, with only 50 MW recovered from engines stopped due to fuel issues, the availability is estimated at 2,050 MW against a demand of 3,700 MW, resulting in a deficit of 1,650 MW and impacts of up to 1,720 MW if forecasts hold true.

In Havana, the Electric Company reported through its profile on Facebook that the service was interrupted yesterday for 14 hours and 19 minutes, with a peak of 65 MW affected at 10:00 PM.

He added that some blocks scheduled for outages were not ultimately disconnected, although the interruptions still depend on the orders from the SEN.

Cuba is experiencing one of the worst energy crises of the last few decades, with daily blackouts lasting more than 20 hours due to technological obsolescence, lack of fuel, and almost total dependence on imports to sustain electricity generation.

The “breath” of electricity that Cuba experienced on the eve of the 99th birthday of dictator Fidel Castro, on August 13, vanished as soon as the spotlight of propaganda was turned off.

The official narrative of recent days, which seemed to suggest that the spirit of the commander illuminated the plants, has collided with the ongoing reality of prolonged blackouts, defrosted refrigerators, and sleepless nights spent fanning oneself with a cardboard to alleviate the stifling heat.

The relief was so brief that some joke that the thermoelectric plants only operate out of "political commitment" and that, after August 13, they will return to their usual lethargy.

The Cuban government is committed to expanding the use of renewable energy, which currently accounts for less than 5% of the national energy matrix. In fact, authorities assert that the island will soon rank among the top three countries in the world to progress most quickly in the transition to the use of clean energy.

During the last few months, several photovoltaic parks have been inaugurated. However, Cubans, becoming increasingly skeptical, do not notice “even a slight improvement”.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Electrical Crisis in Cuba