MIAMI, United States. – Almost a fifth of Cuba, 17% of the national territory, will be in simultaneous blackout in the evening (peak time) of this Thursday, according to a report in your daily part the state-owned Electric Union (UNE).
The power outages are due to fuel shortages, breakdowns and maintenance of power plants, according to official information.
For Thursday, UNE forecasts a maximum power generation capacity of 2,560 megawatts (MW) and a demand of up to 3,000 MW, which means that the generation deficit will be around 440 MW. However, the impact (what will actually be disconnected) will be 510 MW in the evening hours.
Currently, power cuts affect all provinces (although they are worse outside of Havana) and have reached up to 10 hours a day twice a day (around 20 hours in total).
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.
The blackouts, which affected more than a third of the population in June, further complicate the country’s already tense energy situation. Power cuts affect all provinces, reaching up to ten 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.
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