The Cuban Electric Union (UNE) has announced widespread power outages for Thursday, citing a significant generation capacity deficit. According to a report shared on Facebook, the service disruptions began at 6:38 AM due to insufficient power generation.
As of 7:00 AM, the national electric system's (SEN) availability was at 2150 MW, while the demand reached 2240 MW, resulting in 85 MW being affected. By midday, the outage impact is expected to rise to 400 MW.
On Wednesday, power cuts occurred from 10:26 AM until 1:57 AM the following morning. The peak impact was recorded at 766 MW at 8:40 PM, coinciding with the evening's high-demand period.
"The deficit exceeded planned levels because units 5 at the Mariel Thermal Power Plant (CTE Mariel), unit 2 at the Santa Cruz Thermal Power Plant (CTE Santa Cruz), and unit 5 at the Rente Thermal Power Plant (CTE Rente) did not come online," detailed the UNE.
For the evening peak hours, the forecast indicates an availability of 2310 MW against a maximum demand of 2950 MW, resulting in a 640 MW deficit. Thus, the prediction is a 710 MW outage.
Furthermore, four units from the Mariel, Santa Cruz, Nuevitas, and Felton thermal power plants are out of service due to breakdowns. Additionally, unit 1 of the Santa Cruz plant is under maintenance.
Moreover, 61 distributed generation plants, along with the Regla and Melones barges, are offline due to fuel shortages, contributing to 579 MW being affected.
Understanding Cuba's Power Outages and Their Causes
Given the ongoing power issues in Cuba, we've compiled some frequently asked questions to provide more clarity on the situation.
What is causing the power outages in Cuba?
The power outages are primarily caused by a deficit in generation capacity, due to units at key thermal power plants being offline and a shortage of fuel for distributed generation plants.
How long are the outages expected to last?
The duration of the outages varies, but they are expected to continue throughout the day and into the evening peak hours, with some disruptions persisting into the early morning.
Which areas are most affected by the power outages?
The outages are widespread, affecting multiple regions across Cuba, especially those relying on the Mariel, Santa Cruz, Nuevitas, and Felton thermal power plants.