Cuba Faces Widespread power Outages Amid Generation Deficit
Havana, Cuba – Cuba is experiencing significant disruptions to its electrical service, with a peak impact of 1,692 megawatts recorded Friday evening at 7:10 p.m., according to teh state-run electrical Union (UNE).The situation exceeded initial projections due to the failure of Unit 1 at the Santa Cruz CTE to come online.
The ongoing issues stem from a combination of factors, including breakdowns at key power plants and fuel shortages.Specifically, Unit 2 of the CTE Felton, Unit 6 of the CTE Diez de Octubre, Unit 8 of Mariel, and Unit 3 of the CTE Renté are currently offline due to breakdowns. Maintainance is also underway at Unit 2 of the CTE Santa cruz and Unit 4 of the CTE carlos Manuel de Céspedes in Cienfuegos.
As of this morning, the National Electric System (SEN) had an availability of 1,630 MW against a demand of 2,370 MW, resulting in a deficit of 840 MW. UNE forecasts an impact of 1,250 MW for the afternoon.
Thermal limitations are impacting 505 MW of generation capacity. Fuel scarcity is also a major contributor, with 43 distributed generation plants inoperative (280 MW) and 315 MW unavailable due to a lack of lubricant, totaling 595 MW affected.
Despite these challenges, renewable energy sources are contributing to the grid. The 32 new photovoltaic solar parks generated 2,167 MWh, delivering a maximum power of 362 MW during midday.
UNE anticipates the return of Unit 6 of the Nuevitas CTE (70 MW) and the completion of repairs to Unit 3 of the Cienfuegos CTE (80 MW) during the evening peak. However,with current projections,an availability of 1,780 MW is expected against a maximum demand of 3,350 MW,representing a deficit of 1,570 MW and a forecasted impact of 1,640 MW.
