This Monday was no different for Cubans enduring daily blackouts, with over 1,300 megawatts (MW) shut down before 6 PM—far exceeding the predictions made by the Electric Company authorities.
State journalist Lázaro Manuel Alonso highlighted the severe situation, using Matanzas province as an example. "Protected circuits are being shut down due to the growing electricity deficit this evening," he reported.
Alonso added that "the electrical situation is undoubtedly the most delicate issue in our current reality."
Earlier in the day, the Electric Union (UNE) had forecasted a recovery of 100 MW during peak hours from distributed generation engines that are offline due to fuel shortages. They also expected 160 MW from 10 engines on the Melones barge, 45 MW from the Regla barge, and 65 MW from unit 6 in Mariel.
With these predictions, UNE anticipated a peak hour availability of 2,260 MW against a maximum demand of 3,300 MW, resulting in a shortfall of 1,040 MW. This would mean an expected impact of 1,110 MW if the conditions persisted.
However, once again, reality outpaced UNE's forecasts, as they continually fail to provide a vital service to their users.
The ongoing energy crisis, which has been plaguing Cubans for several months, stirs countless comments among those affected. This issue compounds the many daily struggles faced by the population.
"Oil is the foundation of everything"; "Those running the country should be ashamed"; "Just shut everything down already to end this despair"; "Life remains the same, if you can call it life"; "They're destroying people's mental health," are just some of the opinions voiced in the daily updates published by UNE.