Cuba wakes up in the dark: power outages of up to 2,110 MW are forecasted

Cuba faces another day of massive blackouts this Monday following a devastating night.

The Electrical Union (UNE) published its information note from July 20 with a critical forecast: an impact of 2,110 MW during the peak nighttime hours, with a availability of just 1,120 MW against a projected maximum demand of 3,200 MW.

Sunday was no better. The service was interrupted for 24 hours, including the early morning. The greatest impact reached 2,117 MW at 10:10 PM, affecting all provinces of the country.

At six in the morning this Monday, the situation was already alarming, with an availability of 1,120 MW, a demand of 2,682 MW, and 1,570 MW affected. By noon, UNE estimated an impact of 1,450 MW, which would escalate to 2,110 MW by night.

The state entity acknowledged that "if the expected conditions persist, a deficit of 2,110 MW is forecasted" during peak demand hours, which means that the grid can only meet 35% of the country's needs.

Three thermal power units remain out of service: unit 6 of the Máximo Gómez Thermal Power Plant in Mariel, unit 2 of the Lidio Ramón Pérez Thermal Power Plant in Felton, and unit 3 of the Antonio Maceo Thermal Power Plant in Renté.

Three others are under maintenance: unit 3 of the CTE Ernesto Guevara De La Serna in Santa Cruz, units 5 and 6 of the CTE Antonio Maceo in Renté, and unit 5 of the CTE Diez de Octubre in Nuevitas.

This situation is compounded by the scarcity of fuel, which has left 106 distributed generation plants idle, in addition to the Regla Patana, the Melones Patana, the Mariel Fuel Plant, and the Moa Fuel Plant.

The only partial relief comes from the 54 solar photovoltaic parks, which generated 4,571 MWh on Sunday, with a maximum power output of 775 MW, although that capacity disappears at night, precisely when demand peaks.