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Cuba started this Monday another work week marked by long blackouts across the country, due to the severe electricity generation deficit that continues to affect the National Electric System (SEN).
According to the informative note from Unión Eléctrica (UNE), the service was affected for 24 hours on Sunday due to a lack of generation capacity, a situation that also continued into the early hours of Monday.
The highest impact from the previous day reached 1,891 megawatts (MW) at 7:20 PM, a level exceeding initial expectations due to higher-than-forecasted demand.
Disconnection
In fact, in the last few minutes, Cuba experienced a total disconnection of the SEN, as reported by the UNE, which confirmed the system's collapse and announced the activation of restoration protocols.
"A total disconnection of the National Electro-Energetic System occurred. Protocols for restoration are being implemented. We will continue to provide updates," the entity stated in a post shared on Facebook.
More than a thousand megawatts affected since this morning
At 6:00 a.m. this Monday, the availability of the electrical system was 1,140 MW, while the demand reached 2,347 MW, resulting in a 1,220 MW shortfall in service.
For the noon schedule, authorities estimate that the deficit will remain high, with an impact of 1,250 MW.
Breakdowns and maintenance in several thermoelectric power plants
The electrical system is facing multiple technical issues in various generating plants across the country.
Among the main breakdowns are:
Unit 5 of the Mariel Thermoelectric Power Plant
Units 2 and 3 of the CTE Santa Cruz
Unit 2 of the CTE Felton
Units 3 and 6 of the CTE Antonio Maceo (Santiago de Cuba)
In addition, they are undergoing scheduled maintenance:
Unit 6 of the CTE Mariel
Unit 5 of the CTE Nuevitas
Unit 4 of the CTE Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, in Cienfuegos
This is compounded by limitations in thermal generation, which keep 492 MW offline.
Critical forecast for peak hours
For the peak consumption period at night, the entry of unit 4 of the Cienfuegos thermoelectric plant is anticipated, which would provide around 80 MW and is currently in the startup phase.
However, even with that addition, authorities estimate an availability of only 1,220 MW compared to a peak demand of 3,150 MW.
This would result in a deficit of 1,930 MW, with an estimated impact of 1,960 MW during peak hours, indicating the likelihood of new widespread blackouts across much of the country.
Meanwhile, the 52 new photovoltaic solar parks contributed 4,262 MWh of energy, with a peak capacity of 732 MW at noon, although this generation is not enough to compensate for the severe failures of the Cuban electrical system.
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