Without fully complying with the previous ones, Vicente de la O Levy, Minister of Energy and Mines, made a new promise: there will soon be a decrease in the “uncomfortable queues” at the service centers, after a month of the abrupt interruption last April that almost paralyzed the country. This is what he said this Saturday in an interview in cubadebatewhere the official updated the perspectives on the energy supply for the season of high consumption.
“It can also be said that we have not had to go for a zero fuel option, with gigantic financial efforts,” he told the official newspaper.
The Island has been facing a shortage of gasoline since last April due to breaches in the contracts of the supplying countries, according to what Miguel Díaz-Canel said at the time. After weeks with huge queues at gas stations exacerbating discontent of the population, “we can say that there will be a recovery of the activity”, assured the minister.
In the interview, O Levy gave an account of the maintenance work in the National Energy System (SEN) in view of the season of greatest consumption due to the increase in temperatures. “These tasks were carried out sacrificing powers that were available,” he assured, while noting that they were carried out “in the worst conditions” due to lack of financing and supply.
After weeks with huge queues at gas stations that exacerbate the discontent of the population, “we can say that there will be a recovery in activity”
Last January, O Levy warned that Cuban households would not escape blackouts between January and April this year due to maintenance in the SEN, although they would be more localized. In his evaluation, the minister assured that “the effects were minimal” in the first two months of 2023.
The minister explained that last February the Céspedes thermoelectric plants, in Camagüey, and Felton, in Holguín, were taken out of operation for their respective maintenance. At that time, power outages were scheduled in blocks, lasting less than three hours on average, but that promise was left behind when the Island suffered blackouts followed by a breakdown caused by forest fires.
“As a consequence of the fires under the transmission lines and the weakness of the national electrical system,” the SEN had to be disconnected four times, recalled the minister. Added to the list of problems is the lack of fuel for power generation and the exit of the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Power Plant, in Matanzas, which last April was the scene of a tragedy when four workers were buried after a chimney collapsed. and two of them died.
“With these two issues resolved, Guiteras and Energas, before the end of May we forecast a considerable decrease in the effects,” he insisted.
“This new situation lengthened the hours of affectation in the electrical service in almost the entire country,” O Levy ended up acknowledging.
The Felton 1 and 6 units in Mariel (Artemisa) are also under maintenance, together with the Cienfuegos thermoelectric plant. In addition, work is being done on the recovery of the Mariel and Moa engines, and the increase in generation to 300 megawatts of Energas, which last week no less had to interrupt the gas supply for twelve hours due to a breakdown at its plant in Puerto Escondido.
Although the service was restored, the minister acknowledged that it will take until next week to fully recover the power of the plant.
Despite everything, the official assured that they have complied with the maintenance provided for in the system and, therefore, “it is expected to face the summer in better conditions.” “With these two issues resolved, Guiteras and Energas, before the end of May we forecast a considerable decrease in the effects,” he insisted.
Finally, O Levy confirmed the entry of raw material to make transformers and replace the infrastructure damaged by the scourge of Hurricane Ian at the end of September 2022, eight months ago.
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