The energy crisis in Cuba is becoming increasingly severe. Most recently, two more thermoelectric units have broken down, with a third added to the "under maintenance" list. According to the latest report from Unión Eléctrica (UNE) for this Wednesday, there are currently eight thermoelectric units offline: five due to breakdowns and three undergoing maintenance. A power outage forecast of 1,400 MW is expected for today.
Electric service disruptions due to a generation capacity shortfall began yesterday at 5:30 a.m. and persisted throughout the day and into the early hours of today. The peak shortfall reached 1,444 MW at 7:10 p.m., exceeding the planned 1,318 MW outages, primarily due to the unexpected shutdown of unit 3 at the CTE Renté facility, according to UNE.
UNE's report also overlooked that, in addition to the Renté unit 3, unit 1 at Santa Cruz was not listed as out of service. As of 7:00 a.m. today, the National Electric System's (SEN) availability was at 1,670 MW against a demand of 2,400 MW, leaving 777 MW impacted by capacity deficits.
Midday Power Disruptions Expected
By midday Wednesday, power outages are anticipated to reach around 1,050 MW, particularly affecting the central-eastern region due to high transfer demands to that area. Currently, the list of malfunctioning thermoelectric units includes units 1 and 3 at the CTE Santa Cruz, unit 3 at CTE Cienfuegos, unit 2 at CTE Felton, and unit 3 at CTE Renté. Meanwhile, unit 2 at Santa Cruz, unit 1 at Felton, and unit 5 at Renté are under maintenance.
The thermal generation limitations stand at 357 MW. Additionally, a staggering 70 distributed generation plants, totaling 406 MW, are offline due to fuel shortages, alongside the Santiago de Cuba barge with 89 MW, resulting in a total of 495 MW impacted by fuel-related issues.
Evening Demand and Power Forecast
For the evening peak, a recovery of 150 MW from distributed generation units currently offline due to fuel is anticipated. With this recovery, available power is projected to be 1,820 MW against a maximum demand of 3,150 MW, leading to a deficit of 1,330 MW. Should conditions remain as predicted, power outages of approximately 1,400 MW are expected during the peak hour, with significant impact on the central-eastern region.