Cuba's electric grid remains in a severe crisis, with continuous power outages impacting the population on Sunday due to a generation capacity shortfall that reached 1,346 MW. According to a report shared by the Unión Eléctrica (UNE) on their Facebook page, the disruptions lasted throughout the entire 24-hour period, and the outlook for the current day is not promising.
As of 7:00 am, the availability of the National Electric System (SEN) was 1,950 MW, while demand surged to 2,600 MW, resulting in a deficit-induced blackout affecting 697 MW. The situation is expected to worsen during peak hours, with an estimated impact of 1,370 MW.
On the news program Buenos Días, Lázaro Guerra, the general director of electricity at the Ministry of Energy and Mines, indicated that it would be another challenging day with high maximum demands. The UNE projects that during peak times, energy availability will barely reach 2,060 MW against a projected demand of 3,360 MW, leading to a deficit close to 1,300 MW.
Crisis Deepens with Power Plant Failures
The situation is exacerbated by breakdowns in several key units at major thermal power plants (CTE), such as unit 3 of the CTE Santa Cruz, unit 4 of the CTE Cienfuegos, and units 5 and 2 of the CTEs in Nuevitas and Felton, respectively. Additionally, unit 2 of the CTE Santa Cruz and unit 5 of the CTE Renté are undergoing maintenance. These outages, coupled with limitations in thermal generation, have taken 37 distributed generation plants and two generation barges in Mariel and Santiago de Cuba out of service.