The Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Power Plant, the largest plant of its kind in Cuba, generate “stably” 212 megawatts (MW), after resuming its operation this Wednesday afternoon, according to official media.
However, the synchronization of the Guiteras is not enough to cover the electricity generation deficit this Thursday on the Island, as confirmed by the Electric Union (UNE), which foresaw “affectations” during this day.
Regarding the Matanzas thermoelectric plant, Román Pérez, a specialist at the plant, stated that “the moments of greatest risk of a new disconnection from the National Electroenergetic System (SEN), which are concentrated in the load lifting period, have already been overcome.” reports the Cuban News Agency (ACN)).
La Guiteras, founded more than 30 years ago, suffered the impact of a lightning strike last Tuesday that caused it to leave the SEN and later presented “irregularities” in the synchronization process, recalls the news release. This further tensed the already complex situation of electricity generation on the Island, affected by breakages and maintenance in several of the plants.
Electric discharge takes the CTE Antonio Guiteras de Matanzas out of service
In this regard, Pérez praised the work carried out to return the thermoelectric plant to operations, but acknowledged that he was not satisfied “due to the load limitation with respect to the installed capacity of the generating unit,” which is around 300 MW, according to what he specified.
In addition, as was announced yesterday on the television program Round tableconfirmed the possibility that the Guiteras carry out a short maintenance before the summer months, “in order to correct vital problems such as dirt in the boiler area”.
Regarding the electricity generation deficit for this Thursday, the UNE foresaw a maximum affectation of 250 MW, and service cuts from the morning hours, for which it apologized to its customers.
The entity reported that units 6 and 7 of the Máximo Gómez thermoelectric plant, unit 4 of the Diez de Octubre and units 3 and 4 of the Antonio Maceo are out of service due to breakdowns. In addition, the Otto Parellada plant, unit 2 of Lidio Ramón Pérez and unit 8 of Máximo Gómez, which must enter the system for peak hours, were undergoing maintenance.
In distributed generation, on the other hand, 1,107 MW are unavailable due to breakdown and 208 MW are undergoing maintenance, as you refer the website Cubadebate.
“During peak hours, an availability of 2,540 MW and a maximum demand of 2,650 MW is estimated, for a deficit of 110 MW, therefore, if the expected conditions are maintained, an affectation of 180 MW is forecast,” concluded the UNE .
Cuban authorities they have recognized the “complex” and “unstable” situation of electricity generation on the island, which causes discomfort in the population and was one of the triggers for last year’s anti-government protests.
The obsolescence of the generating plants, the use of the heaviest and most corrosive national crude, and the difficulties in having “the timely and necessary financing” to carry out the required maintenance, are among the causes of a problem that has been getting worse in recent years. recent years, and that requires the programming of power cuts due to the impossibility of covering the demand.
