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The National Electric System (SEN) is facing a significant generation deficit this Tuesday that could lead to outages of up to 1,880 megawatts (MW) during peak evening hours, according to the Electric Union.
According to the official note published on March 10, the electrical service was disrupted for 24 hours the previous day, and the outages continued into the early hours of today.
The highest recorded impact on Monday was 1,937 MW at 7:50 PM, a figure that exceeded the planned amount due to the non-operation of unit 5 at the Antonio Maceo Thermoelectric Power Plant in Santiago de Cuba.
Current situation of the electrical system
At 6:00 AM this Tuesday, the availability of the national electricity grid was 1,180 MW against a demand of 2,320 MW, resulting in a shortfall of 1,165 MW. It is estimated that the deficit will remain around 1,150 MW for the midday hour.
The main incidents in the system include several breakdowns and maintenance activities at the country's thermal power plants. Currently out of service due to malfunction are unit 5 of the Mariel Thermal Power Station, unit 6 of the Diez de Octubre Thermal Power Station, unit 2 of the Felton Thermal Power Station, and units 5 and 6 of the Antonio Maceo Thermal Power Station.
Additionally, units 6 of the Mariel CTE, unit 5 of the Nuevitas CTE, and unit 4 of the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes CTE in Cienfuegos are undergoing maintenance. Furthermore, there are limitations in thermal generation that keep approximately 476 MW out of the system.
Forecast for peak hours
For tonight, the entry of unit 5 of the Renté CTE is anticipated, with an estimated power of 70 MW, currently in the startup process.
However, even with this addition, the total availability of the system would barely reach 1,250 MW compared to an estimated demand of 3,100 MW.
This would result in a deficit of 1,850 MW and an estimated final impact of 1,880 MW during peak consumption hours.
Situation in Havana
The Electric Company of Havana reported that on Monday it was necessary to interrupt the service in the capital for 21 hours. The highest impact reached 338 MW at 7:50 PM.
Additionally, it was necessary to implement emergency cuts of 60 MW, and it was not possible to fully restore the service due to a generation deficit.
At the time of the report, five blocks in the capital remained without electricity, amounting to 163 MW, with restoration expected during the morning.
Authorities warned that power outages due to energy contingency do not have a fixed schedule and depend directly on the availability of the National Electric System.
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