Cubans continue to endure relentless power outages. The weekend kicks off with a significant shortfall, and Saturday's forecast anticipates disruptions nearing 1,600 MW.
On Friday, power supply fell short round-the-clock due to capacity deficits, a situation that lingered until the early hours of today. The peak shortfall reached 1,567 MW at 7:20 PM, coinciding with the time of highest demand.
As for the current state of the National Electric System (SEN), the deficit stood at 847 MW at 7:00 AM. By noon, this had escalated to 1,200 MW, with a more pronounced impact in the central-eastern region.
The Electric Union (UNE) reports in its daily update that a total of nine thermoelectric units are out of service across the nation, either due to breakdowns or maintenance work. Five units are currently inoperative: unit 6 at CTE Renté, units 5 and 6 at CTE Nuevitas, and units 1 and 2 at CTE Felton.
Undergoing maintenance are unit 2 at CTE Santa Cruz, units 3 and 4 at CTE Cienfuegos, and unit 5 at CTE Renté. Additional challenges arise from thermal limitations, resulting in 438 MW being out of service.
Furthermore, fuel shortages have rendered 72 distributed generation plants non-operational, along with a 117 MW loss at the Mariel fuel plant and 45 MW from the Regla raft, totaling 511 MW affected by this issue.
During peak hours, the return of five engines from the Regla raft, unit 6 of the Renté thermoelectric plant with 60 MW, and the recovery of 80 MW in distributed generation engines currently offline due to fuel shortages are anticipated.
Given this forecast, an availability of 1,603 MW is expected against a maximum demand of 3,090 MW, leading to a deficit of 1,487 MW. This will result in a 1,557 MW impact, predominantly affecting the central-eastern region.
Understanding Cuba's Power Crisis
What are the main causes of the power outages in Cuba?
The main causes of power outages in Cuba include breakdowns and maintenance of thermoelectric units, thermal limitations, and fuel shortages affecting distributed generation plants.
How many thermoelectric units are currently out of service in Cuba?
Currently, there are nine thermoelectric units out of service in Cuba due to breakdowns or maintenance work.
What is the expected impact on the central-eastern region of Cuba?
The central-eastern region of Cuba is expected to experience a significant impact, with a forecasted affectation of 1,557 MW.