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The province of Ciego de Ávila is experiencing one of the worst energy crises in the country, with outages lasting up to 20 hours a day and an increasingly weak daytime "respite" sustained only by solar parks.
The territory is currently operating under the so-called "maximum shutoff," a band that, according to Lester Arencibia Bacallao, director of the provincial cargo office, can be occupied for almost 24 hours a day.
The official strategy prioritizes circuits linked to vital services, such as hospitals and dairy processing plants, which operate for three and a half hours with service and three and a half hours without it, explained the official newspaper Invasor.
In the main municipality, circuits 2 and 3 are prioritized, which supply the provincial hospital, while in Morón, Micro Norte, Nereida, and the local hospital circuit are given priority.
In response to the question of why these circuits are not fragmented to distribute energy, Arencibia stated that their physical configuration is outdated and modifying it would require millions in investment for 33 kV lines and substations, which is beyond the current economic capacity.
Some specific improvements, such as the installation of a generator at the San Lorenzo aqueduct, allowed circuit 5 and the university circuit to be removed from the priority list.
However, for non-prioritized circuits, the rule of not exceeding 12 hours without service is, today, unattainable.
With a deficit of between 70 and 90 MW, many have gone without electricity for 19 or even 20 continuous hours, the media outlet acknowledged.
To alleviate those extremes, prioritized circuits are temporarily disconnected, except for hospital circuits, for periods ranging from one and a half to two hours, in order to provide relief to the most affected residential areas.
The rotation is further hindered by the "maximum coinciding load," as when the electricity is restored and all the equipment starts up simultaneously, the circuits are triggered again.
The lack of alignment between the water supply schedules and the electricity schedules also has no immediate solution, acknowledged Arencibia.
Coordination with Acueducto occasionally allows for a 3x3 hour cycle, but it cannot be guaranteed given the current deficit.
Amid this landscape, solar photovoltaic generation is the only real support for daytime service.
The province has three parks with a total of 21.4 MW and four smaller ones, totaling over 76 MW; additionally, another 20 MW park is being constructed in Morón, slated to be inaugurated in December.
Still, its contribution is intermittent and concentrated between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Cloud cover can drop generation from 20 MW to just 3 or 5 MW, and after 4:30 p.m. the contribution falls nearly to zero.
The lack of storage systems prevents the use of that energy at night. Although there is a national project to install batteries in some parks, such as the one in Majagua, their main function will be to stabilize daily generation, not to meet nighttime demand.
Arencibia's conclusion is clear: as long as the structural problems with thermal generation remain unresolved, Ciego de Ávila will continue to depend on the sun for limited and vulnerable relief, while blackouts continue to mark the daily life of the province.
In June, a report from the official Canal Caribe presented Ciego de Ávila as one of the most advanced provinces in the use of renewable energy sources, while highlighting that the region could become one of the first in the country to meet its electrical demand during peak midday hours thanks to its photovoltaic parks.
The Electric Union (UNE) reported that, the day before, the country experienced outages throughout the 24 hours, with a peak interruption of 1,790 MW at 6:30 p.m., due to a generation capacity deficit.
For the peak hours on Friday night, the entity estimates disruptions that could reach 1,605 MW.
The main cause of the electrical deficit in Cuba is the fuel shortage and the outdated condition of the country's thermoelectric plants. Furthermore, scheduled maintenance and the breakdowns at several power plants have contributed to the critical situation of the National Electric System (SEN).
Extended blackouts severely impact the daily lives of Cubans, preventing food refrigeration, the use of appliances, and the enjoyment of basic activities such as cooking and ventilating homes, especially in a hot climate.
This generates growing social unrest due to the lack of effective solutions from the government.
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