The forecasts that the blackouts will return more frequently between January and April begin to materialize with cuts in the electrical service of up to six hours in several provinces starting this Monday, according to numerous complaints from users and reports from the Unión Eléctrica (UNE). the Cuban government failing to fulfill its promise that the effects would be “brief”. The state company warned that the deficit in the National Electric System (SEN) will continue this Tuesday due to the lack of availability of oil for the distributed generation terminals.
On Cuban Television, Lázaro Guerra Hernández, technical director of the UNE, confirmed that the cuts in the electrical service began at 3:50 pm this Monday and the supply was fully restored at midnight. However, as of 6:12 am this Tuesday, the blackouts began again, which, according to the official, “will continue all day,” although the “magnitude will depend on demand” during peak hours.
“We have always explained that, in these months, there was a possibility of situations like the one that happened yesterday and the one that is happening today,” said Guerra Hernández, referring to the warning from the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, who last December forecast that in the first four months of the year the blackouts would return due to the outage of several plants that would be subject to planned maintenance, so that the electrical system “is prepared” for the increased demand during the summer of this year
“We have always explained that, in these months, there was a possibility of situations like the one that happened yesterday and the one that is happening today”
At that time, the official promised that the blackouts would be mild and more focused: “We are talking about levels of affectation that can be two or three hours. And not to the whole world and not to all the provinces.”
The UNE attributes this week’s cuts to the shutdown of a block of generators due to breakdowns. Among these units 6 and 7 of the thermoelectric plant (CTE) of Mariel (Artemisa); 1 and 3 of Santa Cruz (Matanzas); the 4 and 5 of Nuevitas (Camagüey); Felton 2 (Holguin); and the 3 of Renté (Santiago de Cuba). In addition to maintaining unit 8 of Guiteras (Matanzas); the 6 of Nuevitas; and 4 and 6 of Renté.
“It also coincided with the fact that we have a displacement of distributed generation because the necessary fuel for its operation could not be guaranteed,” added Guerra Hernández. Of this block, the state electricity company indicates that 824 megawatts (MW) are unusable due to failure and 421 MW are under maintenance.
According to a note published by UNE, the largest deficit was recorded at 6:30 p.m. this Monday, with 524 MW. For this Tuesday, the state company foresees cuts in the service during peak hours, affecting 581 MW.
For the peak hours of this Tuesday, the start of operations of unit 2 of Energas Boca de Jaruco (Mayabeque) with 30 MW is expected, plus the incorporation of 65 MW of its unit 6. Likewise, the UNE ensures that the unit will be connected 3 from Santa Cruz with 80 MW; unit 3 of the Pico San José plant with 16 MW and 58 MW in diesel engines.
The demand for energy fell, according to UNE’s own data, in December and the first days of January, when several cold fronts left temperatures
In social networks, the claims for the cuts in the service did not wait. In a UNE publication on recommendations to “only turn on the necessary lights and equipment” during peak demand hours, from 5 pm to 7 pm, Internet users blurted out that it would not be necessary to save since they simply did not have electricity .
The user Yadira Bravo assured that in Cienfuegos the shortfall lasted six hours, starting at 4:00 p.m. For her part, Norge Osorio pointed out that in Holguín the cut lasted five hours, from 4:20 p.m. to 9:18 p.m. . At the same time, according to user reports, there were blackouts in Nuevitas, Santiago de Cuba, Colón (Matanzas), as well as Nueva Paz (Mayabeque) and Sancti Spíritus.
In this last province, the Electric Company warned at the beginning of January outages of up to six hours in the service, according to a schedule divided into four blocks, with effects of between 15 and 20 MW.
Yoanny Acosta Solenzar, director of the state company, assured that the blackouts were not “as traumatic” as those registered last year, of up to 14 hours, but did not rule out longer cuts than expected if “unforeseen” of the system some of the large thermoelectric plants.
The demand for energy fell, according to UNE’s own data, in December and the first days of January, when several cold fronts left temperatures even very low for what is usual on the Island. Although the authorities denied that the end of the cuts could be attributed to the winter coolness, its influence in ensuring that there was no deficit was notorious.
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