The Antonio Maceo Thermoelectric Plant, commonly known as Renté, located in Santiago de Cuba, ceased operations this Saturday following the failure of a makeshift power system. This system was established to provide limited electricity after the entire country experienced a widespread blackout on Friday night.
Lester Salvador Cedeño, the head of load dispatch for the provincial Electric Company, disclosed that the provisional system, which included Renté's Unit 3, failed at 11:28 am. "Following the failure, we began the process of rebuilding the microsystem from scratch. We are currently at Renté, providing plant service and working to restore the system," he explained on Facebook.
Just hours earlier, Beatriz Johnson, the province's Party's first secretary, had announced that Block 3 of the plant was operational, producing 42 MW with hopes of reaching 60 MW shortly. Johnson stressed that the stability of the microsystem heavily relies on electricity consumption, urging citizens to use power sparingly once the service resumed.
Nevertheless, merely an hour and a half after her announcement, the company reported the system's collapse. Experts indicate that such isolated systems are extremely fragile, with any minor incident—be it a surge in demand or a network short circuit—capable of causing a complete shutdown, necessitating a full restart.
Currently, Santiago de Cuba is entirely without electricity, except for four sectionalized circuits and line 5335, which supplies power to the Renté plant's pumping operations. Lázaro Guerra Hernández, the general director of electricity at the Ministry of Energy and Mines, had mentioned that Santiago's microsystem would supply power to Renté to synchronize its Unit 3, which was being started up on Saturday morning.
Elsewhere in the east, Camagüey's microsystem was primed to energize the Nuevitas thermoelectric plant, which was also in the startup phase. Regarding the western microsystem—the country's largest—Hernández noted it was awaiting the startup of the Energás Boca de Jaruco plant. This would enable electricity distribution to various substations in Havana, the Mariel and Santa Cruz thermoelectric plants, and the floating power plants.
Electricity distribution across different circuits cannot commence until these units are operational.
Understanding Santiago de Cuba's Power Challenges
Why did the Renté thermoelectric plant shut down?
The Renté thermoelectric plant shut down due to the collapse of a provisional power system designed to provide limited electricity after a nationwide blackout.
What caused the failure of the temporary power system?
The temporary power system failed due to its inherent vulnerability. Any small event, like increased demand or a short circuit, can lead to its complete collapse.
What measures are being taken to restore power in Santiago de Cuba?
Efforts are underway to rebuild the microsystem from scratch at the Renté plant, while other systems in the region are being prepared to restore power.