On Thursday, Havana's Electric Company announced an "emergency" power shutdown affecting blocks 1 and 2 for four hours. The company has now released the schedule for power outages in Havana from October 24 to October 27. In an effort to reduce energy consumption and prevent network overloads and service interruptions, the company urged residents to use electricity sparingly.
Despite the successful synchronization of the National Electrical System (SEN) on Tuesday, which followed a massive blackout that began on Friday the 18th, Lázaro Guerra Hernández, General Director of Electricity at the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM), clarified on television that this does not mean the end of blackouts in Cuba. "We have resumed normal operational procedures, but this does not guarantee uninterrupted service. There is still a generation capacity shortfall, so service disruptions will continue. However, the system is now functioning under normal operational conditions," he stated. "Currently, the outages are equitably distributed across the country. The entire system is interconnected, so outages align with the pre-existing 'outage strategy' before the system's failure," he concluded.
National Forecast and Current Challenges
Yesterday, at 5:48 a.m., there was a power service interruption due to a generation capacity deficit, which was restored by 2:15 a.m. today. Nevertheless, at 5:41 a.m., another issue arose for the same reason. The most significant shortfall on Thursday occurred during peak hours, reaching 879 MW at 7:20 p.m. An additional 13 MW outage was reported in Guantánamo due to a hurricane.
For Friday, a 946 MW outage is anticipated. As of 7:00 a.m., the available power capacity is 1,937 MW against a demand of 2,000 MW, resulting in a shortfall of 99 MW due to generation inadequacies. By midday, a 400 MW shortfall is expected.
Generation Unit Status and Future Outlook
The following units are currently out of service due to breakdowns: units 1 and 3 of the Santa Cruz Thermoelectric Plant (CTE), unit 3 of the Cienfuegos CTE, and unit 2 of the Felton CTE. Units under maintenance include unit 2 of the Santa Cruz CTE and unit 5 of the Renté CTE. Thermal generation capacity is restricted by 545 MW, and 35 distributed generation plants, totaling 191 MW, are offline due to fuel shortages.
During peak hours, the plan is to bring the 75 MW unit 1 of the Santa Cruz CTE online (currently in startup), three engines from the Melones Barge with 48 MW, and four engines from the Mariel CDE with 64 MW. With these additions, the estimated availability would be 2,124 MW, compared to a maximum demand of 3,000 MW, resulting in a shortfall of 876 MW and a potential impact of up to 946 MW if conditions remain unchanged.
The dire situation in Cuba has led the government to extend the suspension of classes at all levels and non-essential work activities until Sunday, October 27.