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The Electric Union (UNE) announces more power outages for the weekend, following the near-total collapse of the National Electric System (SEN) last Wednesday, which left much of the country without service.
Friday was a critical day, with a peak impact due to a generation capacity deficit that reached 2046 MW at 7:10 PM, a situation that sparked protests in areas of Havana and Matanzas.
According to the report from UNE, at 6:00 am this Saturday, the availability of the National Electric System was only 1000 MW compared to a demand of 2223 MW, resulting in a deficit of 1266 MW and directly impacting millions of users.
For the average schedule, the impact is estimated at 1250 MW, confirming that the crisis persists even outside peak consumption times.
The main incidents explaining this deficit are concentrated in breakdowns and maintenance of generating units.
Currently, six units are out of service due to issues at the CTE Mariel, Santa Cruz, Antonio Guiteras, Felton, and Antonio Maceo power plants. Additionally, three blocks are under maintenance at the Mariel, Nuevitas, and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes plants.
Meanwhile, additional limitations in thermal generation account for 322 MW offline.
This combination keeps the SEN operating with extremely limited capacity.
For peak hours, a partial generation input is expected: unit 3 of Santa Cruz will contribute 50 MW, and six fuel engines from Mariel will add 106 MW. This will raise availability to 1156 MW against a projected maximum demand of 3050 MW, resulting in a deficit of 1894 MW and an estimated impact of 1924 MW.
The situation highlights the vulnerability of the system to any incident, such as the recent disconnection of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, which triggered a cascading blackout.
The energy crisis is worsening amid the government's inability to ensure a steady supply and prevent structural failures in the plants.
Although there are 51 photovoltaic solar parks that contributed 2,732 MWh and a maximum power of 359 MW, their contribution remains insufficient to offset the decline in thermal generation.
Meanwhile, the population is experiencing the direct effects of a collapsed system, with interruptions that do not follow a scheduled timeframe and depend on the availability of national infrastructure.
On Friday, the Electric Company of Havana reported that the service was interrupted for 24 hours, with a maximum impact of 335 MW at 6:00 PM and emergency outages totaling an additional 105 MW.
At the close of the report, three blocks remained out of service, affecting 122 MW, with no clear forecast for restoration.
The disconnection of the Guiteras unit has left the system in a fragile state, reliant on constant adjustments to avoid larger blackouts.
This situation highlights the fragility of the Cuban electrical system and the lack of effective policies to maintain the energy infrastructure in optimal conditions.
The protests among the population reflect a growing dissatisfaction with the inability to live normally, while the government maintains a management deficit that threatens the stability of the country and the well-being of millions of citizens.
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