This Thursday, power outages persist across Cuba, with forecasts rising to 800 MW following the failure of the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Plant to rejoin the National Electrical System (SEN). The issue couldn't be resolved within the initially announced timeframe.
In his daily televised appearance, Lázaro Guerra Hernández, General Director of Electricity at the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM), explained that Guiteras has been offline for several days, but did not specify how many. Downplaying the severity of the situation, he mentioned that there were plans to shut down Guiteras for a few days in September to address some accumulated issues, and the breakdown simply expedited that shutdown.
"We mentioned yesterday that there was a possibility of reintegrating the plant into the system within 24 hours. That didn't happen. There's a team that is still malfunctioning. Actions were taken yesterday, but larger issues were found, and it wasn't possible to bring it back online today. The solution to this breakdown will take a few more days," he said.
Yesterday, Cuba's electrical service was severely impacted by a generation capacity deficit that lasted throughout the day. Although service was restored at 3:05 a.m. today, the highest impact was recorded at 8:50 p.m., coinciding with peak hours, reaching a value of 732 MW.
At 7:00 a.m., the National Electrical System's availability was 2,270 MW, while demand reached 2,210 MW, allowing the service to be maintained across the system. However, an estimated maximum impact of 250 MW is expected at midday due to the generation capacity deficit.
Breakdowns and Generation Limitations
Currently, four units of the SEN are out of service due to breakdowns: Unit 1 of the Santa Cruz Thermoelectric Plant, Unit 2 of the Felton Thermoelectric Plant, Unit 1 of the Guiteras Thermoelectric Plant, and Unit 5 of Renté. These breakdowns contribute to a thermal generation limitation of 424 MW.
Additionally, 41 distributed generation plants remain offline due to a lack of fuel, affecting a total of 207 MW.
Today's Forecast
Under these conditions, a 2,270 MW availability is anticipated against an estimated peak hour demand of 3,000 MW, resulting in a 730 MW deficit. If these predictions hold, an impact of approximately 800 MW is expected throughout the day, worsening the situation for Cuban consumers.
Understanding the Power Outages in Cuba
To better understand the ongoing power outages in Cuba, here are some frequently asked questions and their answers related to the current situation.
What is causing the power outages in Cuba?
The power outages are primarily due to the unresolved breakdown of the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Plant and additional breakdowns in other units of the National Electrical System (SEN), coupled with a lack of fuel for distributed generation plants.
How long will the power outages last?
It is unclear how long the power outages will last as repairs to the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Plant and other units are ongoing, with no specific timeframe provided by officials.
What measures are being taken to resolve the situation?
Efforts are being made to repair the malfunctioning units and address fuel shortages for distributed generation plants. However, specific details on the measures and their expected effectiveness are limited.