Cuba continues to grapple with relentless power outages, forcing island residents to endure extended periods without electricity. This disruption significantly hampers daily life, particularly complicating food preparation. According to the forecast by the Unión Eléctrica (UNE), this Sunday is expected to mirror previous days with no improvement in sight.
On Saturday, Cubans experienced continuous power disruptions for 24 hours due to insufficient generation capacity, which extended into the early hours of Sunday. The UNE reported that the peak deficit reached 1,278 MW at 7:30 PM, coinciding with the highest demand period.
As of 7:00 AM Sunday, the National Electric System (SEN) had a capacity of 1,900 MW, while demand had already soared to 2,580 MW, resulting in a shortfall of 660 MW. This deficit is projected to increase to 980 MW by midday. These figures are significantly higher than previous forecasts made by the entity, underscoring the severe electrical crisis affecting the island.
Compounding Equipment Failures
Sunday's challenges include breakdowns at unit 5 of the Nuevitas Thermoelectric Plant and unit 2 of the Felton Thermoelectric Plant. Additionally, maintenance is ongoing at unit 2 of the Santa Cruz Thermoelectric Plant and unit 5 of the Renté Thermoelectric Plant, collectively reducing thermal generation capacity by 504 MW.
Distributed generation is also heavily impacted, with limitations totaling 558 MW. This includes 350 MW across 46 distributed generation plants and 208 MW at the Melones and Santiago de Cuba facilities, all compromised by fuel shortages.
Efforts to Alleviate the Crisis
In an attempt to mitigate the shortfall, the UNE plans to activate 10 engines at the Melones facility, providing an additional 170 MW, and to recover 100 MW of distributed generation currently offline due to fuel issues. However, these measures will fall short of bridging the gap.
For today's peak hour, availability is anticipated to be 2,070 MW, while demand is expected to hit 3,300 MW, resulting in a deficit of 1,230 MW. If these conditions persist, the UNE predicts a 1,300 MW impact during peak hours.