Journalist Bernardo Espinosa, responsible for delivering the bad news of daily blackouts caused by the Unión Eléctrica de Cuba (UNE), recently mentioned the issues with Unit 6 of the Nuevitas power plant without specifically referencing the facility. Disconnected last Tuesday from the national electro-energetic system (SEN) without any official media explanation for the outage—occurring less than 24 hours after synchronization—Unit 6 of Nuevitas was restored amidst an information vacuum, exacerbating the bleak situation of frequent blackouts plaguing the Cuban population.
Espinosa, who covered the synchronization of the Camagüey power plant to the SEN, praised the "highly complex and precise procedures" undertaken during a planned 77-day technical shutdown, but failed to mention its outage the following day. This omission left the Cuban public in the dark during his daily reports from the UNE.
This Tuesday, the veteran journalist from the Cuban Television News reported the synchronization of thermal units in Mariel and Nuevitas to the SEN. In an attempt to cover up the previously withheld information, Espinosa interviewed engineer Roberto Manuel Pigueiras Fernández, general director of the Mariel power plant, who deemed the recent issues with Unit 6 of Nuevitas as "normal."
"It is normal for the machine to be taken offline at some point to correct any parameter that does not show satisfactory performance according to the plan. This happens not only in Cuba but in any country worldwide; the assimilation processes of thermal generation machines are normal and planned," explained the director.
The report indicated that Unit 8 of the Mariel power plant had completed its maintenance and synchronized with the SEN at a power level of 85 MW. At the time it was taken offline, the machine was generating 50 MW, Pigueiras Fernández specified. The maintenance work provided the SEN with a gain of just over 30 MW.
"We have planned interventions for the rest of the units, aiming to carry out cleaning," said engineer Edier Guzmán Pacheco, director of thermal generation at the UNE. He specified that they plan "short interventions of about five to seven days for each of these blocks, in a staggered manner, not simultaneously, so that by July we can have some stability."
According to the thermal generation director of the UNE, the actions being taken are not "the solution" to the problems faced by the outdated SEN infrastructure. "It has been explained that this is not the solution. We must anticipate that the blocks will get dirty and their power will be limited. But this is planned in the summer assurance plan, trying to minimize the impact on the public," concluded Guzmán Pacheco.
What happens in the SEN is "planned" and "normal," supposedly occurring "in any country worldwide." What is not "normal" is the submissiveness and servility of the official media to the dictates of the totalitarian Cuban regime.
Understanding the Issues with Cuba's Power Plants
In this section, we address some frequently asked questions about the problems and maintenance of Cuba's power plants, providing a deeper understanding of the situation.
Why are there frequent blackouts in Cuba?
Frequent blackouts in Cuba are primarily due to the obsolescence and poor maintenance of the national electro-energetic system (SEN). The aging infrastructure often fails, causing widespread power outages.
What happened with Unit 6 of the Nuevitas power plant?
Unit 6 of the Nuevitas power plant was disconnected from the SEN less than 24 hours after its synchronization. The official media did not provide an explanation for the outage, which compounded the public's frustration during frequent blackouts.
What is the official stance on the recent power plant failures?
The official stance, as reported by engineer Roberto Manuel Pigueiras Fernández, is that it is "normal" for power plants to be taken offline for maintenance to correct any issues. This explanation was given to justify the recent problems with Unit 6 of the Nuevitas power plant.