The unexpected shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Plant in Cuba on Tuesday—now referred to by the Electric Union (UNE) as CTE Matanzas—due to "urgent boiler repairs" has further worsened the island's energy generation shortfall. On the previous day, the peak power outage reached 1,514 MW, slightly below the forecasted 1,594 MW. Today's situation shows no improvement, with an expected 1,541 MW of blackouts during peak hours and a significant impact during the day of 1,200 MW.
This past Monday, service was disrupted due to a generation capacity shortfall for a full 24 hours, continuing into the early hours of today. As of 7:00 a.m., the National Electric System (SEN) had an availability of 1,400 MW against a demand of 2,350 MW, resulting in 901 MW affected by the generation deficit. Additionally, 90 MW remain out of service in Artemisa due to network damage caused by Hurricane Rafael.
Guiteras: Maintenance or Malfunction?
Although the UNE initially stated that the CTE Matanzas unit was out of service for "urgent boiler repairs," suggesting maintenance work, by Wednesday, the plant was listed among those suffering breakdowns. According to the UNE's report, five thermoelectric units are currently experiencing faults: Unit 5 of CTE Mariel, Unit 1 of CTE Santa Cruz, the unit at CTE Matanzas, Unit 2 of CTE Felton, and Unit 3 of CTE Renté.
Meanwhile, four other units are under maintenance: Unit 2 of CTE Santa Cruz, Units 3 and 4 of CTE Cienfuegos, and Unit 5 of CTE Renté. Across Cuba, nine thermoelectric units are currently out of service, a number that has been steadily increasing in recent months.
Struggling with Limited Resources
The UNE's data paints a grim picture of the energy situation. Limitations in thermal generation account for 251 MW. Due to fuel shortages, 48 distributed generation plants are offline, totaling 197 MW, along with the Santiago de Cuba barge (67 MW), five engines on the Regla barge (45 MW), and five engines on the Melones barge (90 MW), resulting in a total of 399 MW affected.
For today's peak hours, there are plans to bring Unit 3 of CTE Renté online, adding 70 MW, as part of its startup process. Additionally, five engines from the Regla barge are expected to contribute 45 MW, two engines from the Santiago de Cuba barge are anticipated to add 24 MW, and another five engines from the Melones barge are projected to provide 90 MW.
Given this forecast, a peak hour availability of 1,629 MW is estimated, against a maximum demand of 3,100 MW, resulting in a deficit of 1,471 MW. If the current chaotic conditions persist, a peak hour impact of 1,541 MW is anticipated. As of the publication of this article, no officials from the Electric Union or the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM) have appeared on national television to address what seems to be an unending crisis in the Cuban National Electric System.