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Unit 5 of the Diez de Octubre thermoelectric power plant in Nuevitas, Camagüey, went offline this Sunday amid a series of outages that have caused a collapse of the National Electric System (SEN)
La Unión Eléctrica (UNE) reported through its profile on Facebook that at 12:25 PM, the mentioned unit unexpectedly went offline due to "a leak in the ECO," a key component of the generation system.
The decision was made under the emergency clearance protocol, which involves an immediate detention to prevent further harm.
The event occurs just a week after a fire in the boiler of unit 6 of that facility left it out of service.
Far from being an isolated incident, the series of failures confirms the structural deterioration of a plant that supports a significant portion of the country's thermal generation.
The UNE did not specify timelines for repairs nor estimates for the reintegration of unit 5 into the system.
The shutdown of Unit 5 of the CTE in Nuevitas exacerbates an already critical situation, considering that this Sunday the SEN will once again operate in emergency mode, with an estimated impact of up to 1,860 MW during peak hours, a figure that consolidates blackouts as the norm rather than the exception.
The collapse is not the result of an isolated event. The combination of chronic fuel shortages, outdated thermoelectric plants, and a series of simultaneous breakdowns and maintenance issues has reduced the actual generation capacity to insufficient levels.
Solar energy, although presented as a remedy, proves unable to compensate for the structural deficit of the system when demand reaches its peak.
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