Cuba experienced another full day of blackouts on Tuesday, with a maximum impact of 2,168 MW at 8:10 PM, exceeding expectations, while for this Wednesday the deficit is set to exceed 2,100 MW again.
According to the official report from the Electric Union (UNE), the service was affected for 24 hours on Tuesday and remained interrupted throughout the night, with the National Electric System (SEN) unable to meet the demand at any time.
The maximum impact reached 2,168 MW due to the unexpected shutdown of unit 6 at the Máximo Gómez thermoelectric plant in Mariel, worsening an already critical situation.
For the peak hours this Wednesday, the UNE projects a supply of only 1,100 MW against a demand of 3,200 MW. If these conditions persist, it estimates a deficit of 2,100 MW and an impact of up to 2,130 MW.
The forecast only includes the addition of 30 MW from unit 4 of Energás Varadero and 70 MW from unit 6 of the Nuevitas thermoelectric plant, a capacity far below what is needed to meet demand.
However, during the day, at least one change occurred in the situation described in the morning report. At 1:12 PM, the UNE reported that unit 6 of the Máximo Gómez thermoelectric plant had come back online, precisely the unit whose outage had caused Tuesday's impact to exceed expectations.
The deterioration of the thermoelectric park remains one of the main issues. Five units are still out of service: units 5 and 8 in Mariel, unit 6 in Nuevitas, unit 2 in Felton, and unit 6 in Renté. Three more are undergoing maintenance in Santa Cruz, Renté, and Nuevitas.
The lack of thermal generation is compounded by a shortage of fuel. A total of 106 distributed generation plants are currently shut down for this reason, in addition to the facilities in Regla and Melones and the fuel oil plants in Mariel and Moa.
In parallel, the authorities continue to focus on the expansion of solar energy. The Mayabeque Electric Company reported this Wednesday that the works on the El Vidrio Solar Park, located in the municipality of San José de las Lajas, are progressing, where the installation of photovoltaic modules has begun.
According to the state company, 214 solar panels had been installed at the site so far. It did not specify when the park is expected to become operational or the total capacity it will contribute to the national electricity system (SEN).
The solar parks that are already operational produced 4,784 MWh on Tuesday and reached a maximum power of 744 MW during peak radiation hours. However, this contribution diminishes in the late afternoon, precisely when demand increases and the nighttime peak approaches.
The situation had already become critical by the early hours of Wednesday. Havana was experiencing a loss of 468 MW and 146 circuits were out of service, while nationally, the available capacity was around 1,000 MW against a demand of 2,750 MW.
September has seen several days with impacts nearing or exceeding 2,000 MW. On the 5th, it reached 2,396 MW, while on September 1st it was 2,292 MW, and last Monday the peak was 1,915 MW.
The Unión Eléctrica itself warned in August that the period between September and December would be particularly challenging, due to the overlap of scheduled maintenance and breakdowns in several thermoelectric plants.
The impact is once again directly felt in Cuban households: blackouts lasting 24 hours and a forecasted deficit for this Wednesday equivalent to nearly two-thirds of the national demand during peak consumption hours.
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