This third Sunday in June, the date celebrated as Fathers' Day in Cuba, is expected to have a better energy situation than the Mothers' Day festivities in May. On that second Sunday of May, the forecast from the Empresa Eléctrica predicted a power availability of 2,510 MW and a peak demand of 3,100 MW, resulting in a deficit of 590 MW and an estimated impact of 660 MW.
However, for the official Fathers' Day celebration, the availability of the National Electroenergetic System (SEN) at 7:00 AM was 2,410 MW, while the demand was calculated at 2,240 MW. With the system fully operational, electrical authorities do not anticipate any disruptions around midday.
This news, rather than bringing joy, has sparked skepticism among the public. "Thank goodness they’ll go easy on us for Fathers' Day; I'm sure they'll come back with a vengeance tomorrow," quipped one user in the comments section.
Another user commented, "Today is Fathers' Day; tomorrow will be a 'mother' of a day," hinting at potential negative consequences following this sudden improvement in power outages. "Good thing we’ll be relieved on Fathers' Day, unless something else happens. We'll pay for today's comforts tomorrow, you'll see. I like being wrong and I admit it when it happens," added another netizen.
The notice shared on Facebook by the Unión Eléctrica mentions that the Santa Cruz Thermoelectric Plant (CTE) unit 2, the Diez de Octubre CTE unit 5, the Rente CTE unit 6, and the Felton CTE unit 2 are currently out of service due to faults. Meanwhile, unit 1 of the Santa Cruz CTE and unit 5 of the Rente CTE are under maintenance.
Additionally, about 24 distributed generation plants are out of service due to lack of fuel, representing 98 MW affected by this situation. For peak hours, the motors of the distributed generation that are awaiting maintenance are authorized for use, adding 115 MW.
The publication also estimates the inclusion of unit 5 of the Diez de Octubre CTE with 60 MW, unit 5 of the Rente CTE with 75 MW, and two motors from the Mariel barge with 34 MW. Finally, for peak hours, a forecasted availability of 2,694 MW and a maximum demand of 2,950 MW will result in a deficit of 256 MW, predicting an impact of 326 MW during this period.
On Saturday, the maximum impact during the day was 847 MW at midday.
Understanding Cuba's Power Outage Situation
To provide more clarity on the energy challenges and power outage expectations in Cuba, here are some frequently asked questions and their answers.
Why is there a significant power deficit in Cuba?
Cuba's power deficit is largely due to aging infrastructure, frequent equipment failures, and a shortage of fuel for distributed generation plants.
How does the government plan to address the power outages?
The government plans to mitigate power outages by authorizing the use of motors awaiting maintenance and expecting the inclusion of additional power units to meet peak demands.
What was the impact of power outages on Mothers' Day?
On Mothers' Day, the power availability was 2,510 MW with a peak demand of 3,100 MW, resulting in a deficit of 590 MW and an estimated impact of 660 MW.