One day after reconnecting to the National Electric System (SEN), the Thermoelectric Power Plant (CTE) Antonio Guiterasthe main plant of its kind in Cuba, had to stop its operations this Friday due to a new breakdown, according to the Electric Union (UNE) of the Island.
In its daily part published through its social networks, the UNE reported that it was necessary to stop generation during daytime hours of the largest unitary block in the country, located in the western province of Matanzas, due to its high water consumption due to a leak. in the boiler.
Previously, a failure in the excitation mechanism had prevented the synchronization of the Guiteras with the SENsetback that occurred during the start-up process, after having been several days without generating due to other damage to the boiler.
After resolving this situation, he had finally been able to get the system in sync, but it barely managed to stay up and running. Faced with this situation, the UNE explained that after its new one it would work to “defect and correct the defect”, without specifying how long it could be kept out.
The note indicates that, in addition to Guiteras, units 6 and 7 of the CTE Mariel, the CTE unit Otto Parellada, unit 3 of the CTE Santa Cruz, unit 4 of the CTE Nuevitas, unit 2 of the CTE Felton, from Holguín, and units 4 and 6 of the CTE Rente, from Santiago de Cuba.
It is also noted that unit 3 of the CTE Rente continues to receive maintenance actions, and that the limitations in thermal generation amount to 541 megawatts (MW).
To this is added that in the electricity generation distributed, 1,055 MW are unavailable due to breakdown and another 695 MW cannot be generated due to maintenance, according to the official report.
The entre that controls and distributes the generation of electricity in the country announced the entry into the SEN during peak hours this Friday of 100 MW generated by diesel engines, which would increase availability to 1,956 MW in that segment of the day.
However, the maximum impact forecast for that time would be around 1,264 MW, slightly higher than the 1,191 MW this Tuesday shortly after 7:00 p.m., of which 113 MW were due to the damage caused by Hurricane Ian in the west of the country. according to UNE data.
Cuba will “minimize” blackouts before the end of the year, but the current situation is tense
The constant deficit in the generation of electricity is the direct cause of the long and annoying blackouts that are reported every day throughout the Island and motivate the discontent and protests of the population in localities where the service cuts have covered a large part of the day.
This is one of the biggest problems facing the current Cuban government, whose solution is difficult due to the obsolescence and overexploitation of most of the thermoelectric of the country, and the problems for the access to the fuel used by the motors that do not use the national crude oil.
These difficulties are combined with the profound economic crisis in the countryaggravated by the impact of the pandemic, the sanctions imposed by the United States government, internal deficiencies and the ineffectiveness to date of the government measures adopted to reverse the complex situation.
