Cuba reached another peak in its energy crisis on Tuesday, recording a deficit of 2,411 megawatts (MW) in generation capacity, a figure that left a large part of the country without electricity and surpassed the record reported just a week earlier.
The Electric Union (UNE) reported that the highest actual impact occurred at 10:30 PM this Tuesday and that the service remained compromised due to a lack of capacity throughout the 24 hours, including all of the early hours of this Wednesday.
The figure of 2,411 MW specifically refers to the impact on service caused by the generation deficit, according to the terminology used by the state-owned company.
The figure exceeds by 31 MW the 2,380 MW announced as a record on July 29, when the system had only 850 MW available to meet a calculated demand of 3,200 MW.
The situation remained critical at 6:00 AM this Tuesday, with only 970 MW available against a demand of 2,815 MW.
The UNE reported at that time 1,840 MW affected and estimated that the outages would reach 1,700 MW during midday hours.
The figures of availability and demand published by the entity itself show a mathematical difference of 1,845 MW, five MW more than the reported impact.
For peak demand hours, the company forecasted a capacity of 970 MW and a demand of 3,150 MW, resulting in a deficit of 2,180 MW.
Due to the operational conditions of the system, the anticipated impact will be even greater and will reach 2,210 MW.
Four thermoelectric blocks remain out of service: unit 6 at the Máximo Gómez power plant in Mariel; unit 4 at the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes; unit 2 at Felton; and unit 3 at Renté. The limitations in thermal generation account for an additional 547 MW out of reach.
Units 3 of Santa Cruz, 5 of Nuevitas, and 5 and 6 of Renté are also out of service for maintenance.
In total, eight blocks of thermoelectric plants are out of service due to breakdowns or scheduled maintenance, amidst a crisis characterized by a lack of fuel, the deterioration of the plants, and a shortage of spare parts.
The photovoltaic solar parks generated 3,148 megawatt-hours (MWh) during the previous day and delivered a peak power of 490 MW during the hours of highest radiation.
The new record occurs on the same day that the UNE declared the National Electrical System restored, after two total disconnections in less than 48 hours.
In light of these new disconnections, the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, merely stated that the authorities continued to work with "dedication and commitment", attempting to compensate with speeches for the inability to announce an immediate solution for a system.
The official himself had admitted days earlier that there are Cuban communities that have gone up to 105 days without electricity. He also acknowledged that the country is not receiving the necessary volumes of fuel and that "there is no energy to distribute."
The consequences go beyond the discomfort of power cuts. Some Cubans have had to sleep on the Malecón in Havana to escape the heat inside homes without fans, while the lack of electricity also disrupts water pumping and complicates food preservation.
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