The energy crisis in Cuba worsens with the start of a new week marked by power outages across the country.
The Cuban Electric Union (UNE) reported that this luneOn September 29, the generation deficit reached figures close to 1,900 megawatts (MW), prolonging the blackouts that have affected millions of homes for months.
Deficit increases during the day
According to the official report, availability in the morning hours was 1,630 MW compared to a demand of 2,913 MW, resulting in a disruption of 1,315 MW.
At midday, the projection indicated a 1,250 MW impact, while for the evening peak hours the situation will worsen: a demand of 3,500 MW is estimated compared to an availability of only 1,680 MW, which would leave a deficit of 1,790 MW and a maximum impact of up to 1,860 MW.
Incidents in thermoelectric plants and Energy
On Sunday, the electrical system was affected around the clock. The largest deficit was recorded at 8:50 p.m., with 1,894 MW out of service, a figure higher than expected after the shutdown of two units at the Renté Thermoelectric Plant (CTE) in Santiago de Cuba.
The situation worsened last night with the unexpected shutdown of units 1, 2, 5, and 6 of Energás Jaruco, due to the closure of the main gas valve. This failure resulted in an additional 300 MW of disruption as of 11:02 p.m.
Breakdowns and maintenance at key plants
Currently, Unit 2 of the Felton CTE, Unit 5 of Nuevitas, and three blocks of Renté remain out of service. Units 1 and 2 of Santa Cruz and Unit 4 of the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes CTE in Cienfuegos are also undergoing maintenance.
La UNE He also acknowledged that 310 MW remain offline due to thermal limitations.
Fuel and distributed generation problems
The lack of fuel and lubricants exacerbates the situation. A total of 57 distributed generation plants, with a capacity of 483 MW, are shut down due to fuel shortages.
Another 154 MW remain unavailable due to the lubricant shortage. Together, this represents an additional 637 MW of disruption.
Insufficient contribution of solar energy
Although the UNE He highlighted that the 31 new photovoltaic solar parks generated 2,414 megawatt hours (MWh) on Sunday, with a peak of 435 MW at noon. This figure is insufficient to cover the structural deficit of the national electricity system.
Blackouts in the capital
In Havana, the Electric Company reported that power outages began at 5:08 p.m. on Sunday, affecting all six blocks of the capital simultaneously.
The largest impact was 301 MW at 11:50 p.m., which forced the official blackout schedule to be modified. For this luneA new schedule by block and time was published early Tuesday morning, although the company reiterated that interruptions depend on the national availability of the SEN.
