At 14:30 p.m. on Tuesday, La Unión Eléctrica reported that Unit 6 of the Máximo Gómez Thermoelectric Plant was disconnected from the electrical system following a power surge in the 220 kV grid connecting Mariel to Havana.
The generator block suffered another shutdown last Friday, September 26, when it was forced to shut down due to oil contamination and vibrations in the feedwater pump.
The state-owned company did not specify how long it will be out of service or what repair work is planned.
Growing deficit in the electrical system
The failure occurred in a context of a deficit exceeding 1,700 MW.
According to the official report, on Tuesday morning, availability was just 1,670 MW compared to a demand of 2,840 MW, leaving more than 1,100 MW of consumption without backup.
During peak hours, availability is expected to be 1,780 MW, with an estimated demand of 3,550 MW.
If these conditions continue, the deficit would reach 1,770 MW, which translates into blackouts of up to 24 hours.
Thermoelectric plants out of service
In addition to Mariel, Unit 2 in Felton, Unit 5 in Nuevitas, and Units 3 and 5 in Renté remain damaged.
Several plants are under maintenance, including plants 1 and 2 in Santa Cruz and plant 4 at Carlos Manuel de Céspedes in Cienfuegos.
Added to this situation are thermal limitations, which keep another 385 MW out of service.
Distributed generation is also facing serious difficulties: 43 plants are shut down due to a lack of fuel, and 181 MW remain unavailable due to a lack of lubricants.
Widespread blackouts across the country
In the capital, the Electric Company acknowledged that the luneThere were more than 23 hours without service, with a maximum interruption of 170 MW.
The six scheduled blocks were affected, making it impossible to comply with the announced rotating outage schedule.
In eastern provinces, power outages also exceed 20 hours, with no signs of improvement in the short term.
A system in critical condition
Repeated thermal power plant collapses, reliance on distributed generation without sufficient diesel, and limited backup capacity are putting the National Electric System at breaking point.
The population, subjected to prolonged blackouts, faces an increasingly uncertain outlook, while the energy crisis worsens with no clear prospects for recovery.cupimmediate reaction.