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The Electric Union of Cuba (UNE) reported on Wednesday that the country woke up to widespread blackouts due to a significant generation deficit affecting the National Electric System (SEN), with an availability of only 1,420 megawatts compared to a demand of 2,050 MW.
According to the official statement, the highest impact recorded on Monday was 1,911 MW at 6:40 PM, a figure that exceeded the plan due to the unexpected outage of unit 6 at the Renté Thermoelectric Power Plant (CTE) and a consumption higher than anticipated. The disruption has been active since 4:15 AM on Monday and continues this Tuesday.
In , power outages affected up to 303 MW during the evening hours, and although service was restored close to midnight, part of the electrical grid experienced interruptions again in the morning.
Thermal power plants out of service and fuel shortages
Among the main incidents, the UNE reported malfunctions in units 5 of the Mariel CTE, 6 of Nuevitas, 2 of Felton, and 3 and 6 of Antonio Maceo, in addition to maintenance work at the plants in Santa Cruz and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes (Cienfuegos).
The limitations in thermal generation reach 702 MW, while the lack of fuel keeps 95 distributed generation plants (887 MW) out of service, along with another 169 MW due to a deficiency of lubricants. In total, 1,056 MW are currently idle for this reason.
Despite the fact that the 37 new photovoltaic solar parks produced 3,076 MWh on Monday, with a maximum power output of 571 MW, their contribution is insufficient to meet national demand.
Pessimistic forecast for the peak hours
The UNE expects that during the peak nighttime hours, availability will increase to 1,535 MW with the partial entry of unit 6 from Renté (40 MW) and unit 6 from the CTE Diez de Octubre in Nuevitas (75 MW). However, a deficit of 1,765 MW is anticipated, which will result in blackouts of up to 1,795 MW during that period.
The energy crisis continues to severely impact the daily lives of Cubans and productive operations across the country. Citizen reports indicate power outages of more than 10 hours a day in provinces such as Holguín, Camagüey, Villa Clara, and Santiago de Cuba.
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