Critical electricity generation situation in Cuba reported

Cuba is currently experiencing one of the most severe energy crises in recent times, with widespread blackouts lasting more than 18 hours in several regions of the country. 

The situation, described as critical by pro-government journalists on social media, is due to a combination of technical failures, scheduled maintenance, and an alarming fuel shortage, which has led to the partial collapse of the national electricity system. 

Entire communities are virtually paralyzed, with serious impacts on daily life, the functioning of important institutions, transportation, food production, and connectivity.

Serious problems with the current in Cuba

Among the main problems that have deteriorated generating capacity, outages have been reported at three major thermoelectric plants: Unit 5 of the Mariel Thermoelectric Plant (CTE), Unit 2 of the Felton CTE, and Unit 3 of the Renté CTE. In addition, maintenance is required at other key plants, such as Unit 2 of the Santa Cruz CTE, Unit 4 of the Cienfuegos CTE, Unit 6 of the Diez de Octubre CTE, and Unit 5 of the Renté CTE, further limiting the availability of megawatts in the system.

Distributed generation is also suffering severe restrictions. Of the 72 plants of this type operating, which should contribute 443 MW to the system, they have been affected by fuel shortages. Of that total, 66 MW are out of service due to a lack of oil in the engines. Together, these limitations add up to a deficit of 509 MW due to this cause alone, which considerably worsens the situation.

According to the official report of the UNEFor tonight's peak hours, the entry of unit 3 of the CTE Rente with 60 MW and the entry of 5 engines at the Moa fuel plant with 60 MW are estimated.

With this forecast, there should be 1890 MW of available power and a peak demand of 3470 MW, resulting in a deficit of 1580 MW. Therefore, if expected conditions persist, a 1650 MW impact is forecast during this time.