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The Electric Union (UNE) published its official report on the situation of the National Electric System (SEN) this Sunday, acknowledging disruptions during the 24 hours of Saturday and a deficit that, although “slightly lower” than the previous day, left millions of Cubans without electricity during peak demand hours.
According to the state company, on the morning of August 24, 1,288 MW were still offline due to a generation deficit, with a forecast of 1,525 MW during the peak night hours.
Although in the last few hours units from Cienfuegos and Santa Cruz came online, and the solar photovoltaic parks contributed 488 MW at their peak, the total availability (1,950 MW) was still far from the national demand, estimated at 3,185 MW.
"For peak hours, the entry of 100 MW from distributed generation motors that are out due to fuel is estimated, along with unit 3 of the CTE Cienfuegos at 158 MW and the entry of unit 1 of Santa Cruz at 50 MW," stated the UNE in its report this Sunday.
And he added: “With this forecast, during peak hours, a availability of 2,245 MW is estimated, and a maximum demand of 3,700 MW, resulting in a deficit of 1,455 MW, so if the expected conditions persist, a shortfall of 1,525 MW is anticipated during this period.”
Despite the apparent "improvement" in the numbers, Cubans received the official report with irony, skepticism, and anger. A resident from the eastern province of Granma illustrated this brilliantly.
"Once consecutive hours with power in Campechuela. It felt like I was living in a fairy tale.", wrote the user this Sunday on the Facebook of UNE.
Others responded, warning that soon he would face more than 20 hours without electricity, while the debate shifted towards recurring topics: the government's responsibility and the contrast between the people's suffering and the elite's extravagance.
The comments reflected the widespread dissatisfaction experienced by users (all of Cuba) of the state-owned company.
“We continue to face more power outages, without water, without medications, without food. This is abusive,” reported a Cuban from Matanzas. Another resident from Jagüey Grande questioned the lack of scheduling: “The situation makes it more difficult because one doesn't know when or for how long the power will be cut.”
The alleged commitment of the regime to solar parks is also unconvincing. “There are more and more photovoltaic parks, and they are producing less and less. Is it that they don’t clean the panels, or are they already malfunctioning?”, asked a reader, prompting dozens of mocking and suspicious reactions.
Far from providing relief, the daily information from the UNE has become a reminder of the government's inability to address the structural crisis.
As one commentator summarized: “This is not a technical problem. It's the failure of a model that only knows how to generate more blackouts, more misery, and more hopelessness.”
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