The Havana Electrical Company has issued a notice today, revealing that "due to an emergency," electricity service will be interrupted in two segments of the capital city on Thursday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. "Given the current state of the National Electrical System, it's necessary to disrupt service for emergency reasons to customers associated with Blocks #1 and #2 between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.," the notice stated on Facebook.
The company urged residents to "use electricity sparingly to reduce consumption, prevent network overloads, and avoid service interruptions." As of this report's publication, the Havana Electrical Company has not released a schedule for future blackouts in the city.
Although synchronization of the National Electrical System (SEN) was achieved on Tuesday following a massive blackout that began on Friday, the 18th, Lázaro Guerra Hernández, the general director of Electricity at the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM), clarified on television that this does not mean an end to blackouts in Cuba. "We've resumed normal operational procedures, but that doesn't mean there won't be service disruptions. There's still a deficit in generation capacity, so interruptions will continue, although the system is now operating under normal procedures," he explained. "Currently, service disruptions are distributed evenly across the country, with everything interconnected. Therefore, disruptions align with the 'disruption strategy' that existed prior to the system's collapse," he added.
Despite the Cuban government's attempts to avoid affecting Havana—a frequent topic of debate on social media—the announcement by the Electrical Company today signals that the fuel and generation crisis remains severe, or there has been a shift in strategy regarding blackouts in the capital. This is particularly fair considering the severe blackouts other provinces have endured for months.
National Power Outlook for Today
The National Electrical Union (UNE) reported that yesterday, the electrical service was disrupted for 24 hours, with the peak disruption reaching 1,245 MW at 6:30 p.m. Additionally, 17 MW were affected in Guantánamo due to the hurricane's impact.
As of 7:00 a.m. today, the National Electrical System's (SEN) available capacity was 1,990 MW, with demand hitting 2,160 MW, resulting in a 220 MW deficit. By midday, the capacity shortfall is expected to reach around 450 MW.
Currently, three thermoelectric units are out of service due to malfunctions: unit 8 at CTE Mariel, unit 3 at CTE Cienfuegos, and unit 2 at CTE Felton. Additionally, maintenance is underway on unit 2 at CTE Santa Cruz and unit 5 at CTE Renté, with thermal generation limitations totaling 724 MW.
In distributed generation, 24 plants are offline due to fuel supply issues, causing a loss of 135 MW. For peak hours, unit 8 at CTE Mariel is expected to return to service, adding 70 MW to the grid. With these forecasts, peak hour availability is projected at 1,990 MW, while maximum demand could reach 3,050 MW, resulting in a 990 MW shortfall.
If conditions persist, up to 1,060 MW of disruption is anticipated during peak demand. The situation in Cuba is so dire that on Wednesday, the government announced the extension of the suspension of classes at all educational levels and non-essential work activities through Sunday, October 27.