Related videos:
The energy crisis in Cuba continues to worsen, and this Wednesday the country is again facing a significant generation deficit that could lead to blackouts of nearly 1,900 megawatts (MW) during peak nighttime hours.
According to the report from the National Electroenergetic System (SEN) released by the Electric Union (UNE) in a social media post, the electrical service was affected throughout the entire previous day and interruptions continued into the early morning hours.
"The maximum impact due to generation capacity deficit yesterday was 1875 MW at 7:20 PM," the entity reported.
At 6:00 AM this Wednesday, the availability of the SEN was 1120 MW compared to a demand of 2337 MW, resulting in an impact of 1225 MW. By noon, an impact of around 1150 MW is expected.
Among the main incidents of the system are breakdowns at several thermal power plants: unit 5 of the CTE Mariel, unit 2 of the CTE Santa Cruz, unit 6 of the CTE Diez de Octubre, unit 2 of the CTE Felton, and units 3 and 6 of the CTE Antonio Maceo.
The maintenance of Unit 6 at the Mariel Power Station, Unit 5 at the Nuevitas Power Station, and Unit 4 at the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Power Station in Cienfuegos is also ongoing. These disruptions are compounded by limitations in thermal generation, which are keeping 412 MW out of service.
For the evening peak hours, the entry of unit 6 of the CTE Nuevitas is expected with 90 MW. Still, the system would have an estimated availability of 1120 MW against a maximum demand of 3080 MW.
In this scenario, the deficit could reach 1870 MW, and if the anticipated conditions persist, the estimated impact would be around 1900 MW during peak consumption periods.
The production from the 51 new photovoltaic solar parks contributed 3,717 MWh to the system the previous day, with a maximum output of 535 MW at noon.
The situation continues to have a strong impact in the capital. According to the Electric Company of Havana in a post shared on Facebook, on Tuesday the electric service was interrupted for 22 hours and 27 minutes.
The report stated that the peak impact in the city was 359 MW at 7:00 PM and that it was necessary to apply 61 MW as an emergency. "It was not possible to restore the service due to a deficit," the entity indicated.
At the close of the report, six blocks of the capital remained without electricity, and 55 MW of emergency generation (269 MW) were still active, while the restoration of service depends on the availability of the SEN.
The long hours without electricity have increased social unrest in the capital. In recent days, protests and demonstrations with pots and pans have been recorded in several Havana municipalities, including Cerro, Marianao, Plaza de la Revolución, and El Vedado.
During the early hours of Wednesday, for instance, residents of the Palatino neighborhood staged another cacerolazo against the blackouts, a form of protest that has been repeated in various parts of the capital.
Demonstrations have also been reported in other municipalities of the city, with residents banging pots from their homes or taking to the streets to demand the restoration of electrical service. The protests have coincided with several consecutive days of prolonged power outages.
On Tuesday night, new protests were also reported in various neighborhoods of the capital, marking the fifth consecutive day of demonstrations related to power outages, as residents of Vedado and other areas of the city joined the protests.
In Marianao, residents of the El Lido neighborhood also took to the streets to protest during the night and, according to reports shared on social media, the demonstration ended with several people detained following the arrival of police officers.
Protests are occurring amid increasingly prolonged blackouts. The previous day had already been marked by significant impacts on the electrical system, as the country faced a deficit close to 1,900 MW during the peak nighttime hours, following a day when service was interrupted for 24 hours in various areas of the country, as described in this recent context on the evolution of the energy crisis.
Electric authorities reiterate that service interruptions due to energy contingencies do not have a fixed schedule and depend directly on the availability of the National Electroenergy System.
Filed under: