The Cuban National Electric System (SEN) is grappling with a severe crisis as of May 7, with ongoing disruptions reported since the previous day. According to the official report from the Cuban Electric Union (UNE), the power service was interrupted for the entire 24 hours of Tuesday and continued to experience outages into the early hours of today.
The peak disruption on the previous day reached 1,708 megawatts (MW) at 8:50 PM, coinciding with the high demand period. This exceeded planned levels due to the delayed activation of unit 6 at the Nuevitas Thermoelectric Plant (CTE). By 7:00 AM on Wednesday, the SEN's available capacity was just 1,700 MW against a demand of 2,800 MW, resulting in a capacity deficit of 1,163 MW. Midday projections estimate an impact of 1,350 MW.
Currently, unit 3 of the Cienfuegos CTE and unit 2 of the Felton CTE are out of service due to breakdowns. Maintenance is underway for unit 2 of the Santa Cruz CTE, the Guiteras CTE unit, unit 4 of the Cienfuegos CTE, and unit 5 of the Renté CTE. Limitations in thermal generation account for 363 MW. Additionally, 75 distributed generation plants are offline due to fuel shortages, affecting 545 MW. It is anticipated that 80 MW will be restored from diesel plants currently inactive due to a lack of fuel by peak evening hours.
With this scenario, a total availability of 1,780 MW is expected alongside a maximum demand of 3,400 MW during nighttime, resulting in a shortfall of 1,620 MW and potential outages of up to 1,690 MW.
Meanwhile, the Havana Electric Company has announced a new blackout schedule for Wednesday. Block 2 will be without power from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, block 1 from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and block 3 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Starting at 7:00 PM, block 5 will be affected, followed by block 4 from 8:00 PM onward. Service will be gradually restored between 11:00 PM and midnight, according to the outage schedule.
This pattern of blackouts continues the trend seen the previous day, when maintenance at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant and a malfunction at unit 3 of the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes plant necessitated a reorganization of power cuts. The Havana Electric Company issued a new outage schedule for May 6, extending blackouts and reducing recovery times in the capital.
Amidst these challenges, the Las Guásimas solar park was inaugurated on Tuesday in the Contramaestre municipality of Santiago de Cuba, with an installed capacity of 21.8 MW. This facility is the first in the province connected to the SEN. Authorities estimate it could save approximately $4.9 million annually. The official note highlighted the park's inauguration as part of efforts to integrate renewable energy sources into the system.
Understanding Cuba's Power Crisis
What is causing the power outages in Cuba?
The power outages in Cuba are primarily due to a significant deficit in the electric grid's capacity compared to the demand, compounded by breakdowns and maintenance issues at several thermoelectric plants.
How is the Cuban government addressing the power shortage?
The Cuban government is working to incorporate renewable energy sources, such as the newly inaugurated Las Guásimas solar park, into the national grid to help mitigate the power shortage.
What are the expected impacts on Havana's residents?
Havana's residents can expect scheduled blackouts as the Electric Company implements a new outage schedule to manage the limited power supply.