Power Outages Expected Due to 940 MW Deficit After Felton Plant Shutdown

The shutdown of the Felton thermoelectric plant this Tuesday has worsened the ongoing energy crisis in Cuba, leading to more frequent power outages affecting the population. The Unión Eléctrica (UNE) announced a deficit of 940 MW during peak hours on Tuesday, nearly double the maximum shortfall reported on Monday, which was 558 MW at 8:40 PM. On that day, service disruptions began at 9:10 AM and could not be restored.

As of 7:00 AM on Tuesday, 120 MW were already affected due to a lack of generation capacity. The forecast for daylight hours predicts a 400 MW shortfall. During peak hours, an availability of 2280 MW is expected against a maximum demand of 3150 MW, resulting in an 870 MW deficit. "If current conditions persist, a 940 MW shortfall is anticipated," detailed the entity on Facebook.

In addition to units 1 and 2 of the Felton plant, units 1 and 2 of the CTE Santa Cruz and unit 4 of the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes plant are also out of service due to malfunctions. Thermal generation limitations amount to 398 MW, and 44 distributed generation plants are out of service due to fuel shortages, affecting a total of 202 MW.

The Felton plant, located in Holguín, was shut down due to a boiler puncture, with no further details provided by the authorities on the duration of the repairs.

Amid the ongoing energy crisis in the country, the news of this new malfunction at the Felton plant exacerbates public discontent as power outages become more severe each day.