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The energy crisis in Cuba continues to hit the population hard, with prolonged blackouts and an electrical system unable to meet national demand.
The report from the Unión Eléctrica (UNE) on this Sunday, March 8, confirms that power outages continued throughout the previous day and also during the early hours of this Sunday, reflecting a structural situation that has deteriorated over the years.
On Saturday, the electric service reached its most critical moment at 7:30 PM, when the lack of generation hit 1,958 megawatts (MW), one of the highest levels of impact recorded recently.
This Sunday morning, at 6:00 am, the National Electric System (SEN) had a capacity of 1035 MW, while the demand was 2100 MW, leaving a shortfall of 1085 MW.
For noon, authorities estimated that the impact will be around 1100 MW, which suggests further service interruptions for large areas of the country.
The difficulties of the system are largely due to the shutdown of several thermo-electric units.
According to the official report, five units are out of service due to breakdowns, distributed across the thermoelectric plants of Mariel, Diez de Octubre, Felton, and Antonio Maceo, the latter having two affected units.
Additionally, three units are under maintenance at the thermoelectric plants of Mariel, Nuevitas, and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, which further reduces the available generation capacity.
In addition, the system has 581 MW out of service due to limitations in thermal generation, another indicator of the accumulated deterioration of the energy infrastructure.
For the peak evening hours, the UNE forecasted an availability of 1195 MW against an estimated maximum demand of 3050 MW.
This results in a deficit of 1855 MW and a projected impact of 1885 MW, figures that anticipate massive blackouts across the entire national territory if the expected conditions persist.
Amid this critical scenario, the only positive news was the commissioning of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant in Matanzas.
Cuba's largest power generation plant synchronized with the National Electric System at 6:03 a.m. this Sunday, after being out of service for four days due to a malfunction.
The UNE reported that the thermal block has begun to gradually increase its load, with the expectation of recovering around 200 MW of generation.
Meanwhile, power outages also hit the capital hard.
The Electric Company of Havana reported that the service was interrupted for 24 hours the previous day, with a maximum impact of 309 MW at 6:30 PM.
During that period, it was necessary to withdraw 70 MW from the system due to an emergency, and the entity acknowledged that it was not possible to fully restore the service due to a generation deficit.
At the close of the official statement, a block of 40 MW remained out of service, with a forecast to be restored during the morning.
The authorities clarified that the block and circuit power outages due to the so-called energy contingency continue without set schedules, as they depend on the actual availability of the SEN.
The persistence of these power outages reflects an energy crisis that has worsened over the years.
The deterioration of thermal power plants, the lack of sustained investments, and the poor management of the electrical system have left millions of Cubans exposed to prolonged power outages, with serious consequences for daily life, household economies, and productive activity across the country.
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