MIAMI, United States. – Throughout the weekend and until Monday, the blackouts have continued uninterrupted due to a severe deficit in generation capacity, according to the daily reports of the state-owned Electric Union (UNE) of Cuba.
The power outages began on Saturday at 6:01 a.m., reaching a maximum impact of 1,043 MW at 8:40 p.m., during the so-called “peak hour” (when there is the most consumption). On Sunday, the situation did not improve, with a maximum impact of 1,033 MW at 6:30 p.m., which led to the service being interrupted for 24 hours a day.
As of 7:00 a.m. on Monday, 211 MW of damage had already been recorded, a figure that is expected to rise to 550 MW by midday. The forecast for the night It is 950 MW of impact, although the UNE clarified that this figure will depend on whether unit 8 of the Mariel thermoelectric plant finally comes into operation, after several failed attempts the previous day.
Last Thursday, the island recorded one of the highest power outages in three months (43%), very close to the 44% generation deficit reported on March 15 and the 45% reported on February 12.
Currently, power cuts affect all provinces (although they are worse outside of Havana) and have reached up to 14 hours a day.
In May of this year, the Cuban ruler, Miguel Diaz-Canelsaid the country would experience “prolonged” power outages until June due to maintenance work on the energy system. This measure, according to authorities, seeks to reduce interruptions during the months of July and August, when consumption is highest.
“We are going to have extended maintenance until the month of June to minimize the inconvenience of blackouts in the summer, especially in the months of July and August,” said Díaz-Canel in the sixth episode of his podcast From the Presidency. The president made it clear that the total absence of blackouts cannot be guaranteed: “We cannot commit to the absence of blackouts. Given the current conditions of the system, such a commitment is not possible now,” he said.
For his part, the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, recently admitted that August was an “extremely tense” month, but assured that the Government was still looking for “solutions.”
The blackouts further complicate the country’s already tense energy situation. Power cuts affect all provinces, reaching up to 10 hours a day, even in Havanawhere “scheduled” blackouts are implemented by neighborhood, lasting approximately eight hours.
These blackouts not only undermine the economic performance of Cuba, which has been mired in a serious crisis for years, but have also been the trigger for anti-government protests. The most notable ones occurred on July 11, 2021the largest in decades, and most recently on March 17 in Santiago de Cuba and other locations.
