The Electric Union of Cuba is about to complete a week without announcing an electricity deficit. The blackouts, which were a constant during the second half of 2022, have given a partial truce to the Government, which had promised – after the failed omen in May – that, in December, the situation would have improved. The data, however, show how the drop in demand – around 12% – is one of the factors that has helped the authorities the most.
The Deputy Prime Minister of Cuba, Ramiro Valdés Menéndez, visited this Thursday in Mayarí (Holguín), the Lidio Ramón Pérez thermoelectric plant, known –because of its location– as Felton. The largest plant on the island, with a capacity of almost 500 MW, put an end to a maintenance carried out weeks ago to recover block 1, which was producing just 175 MW of the 260 MW maximum capacity.
The commander congratulated himself, together with the director of the plant, Euclides Rodríguez Mejías, on the improvement experienced after the repair of the leaks, which have allowed to obtain 245 MW per day
The commander congratulated himself, together with the director of the plant, Euclides Rodríguez Mejías, on the improvement experienced after the repair of the leaks, which have allowed 245 MW per day to be obtained in the last 15 days.
The gain is, in any case, a small part of the energy recovered on the Island, according to the calculations of the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy. The official said days ago that the importation of materials has made it possible to increase the generation capacity of the eight plants and that, in addition, units of the distributed network have been incorporated that contributed almost 300 more MW.
According to the analysis of the EFE agency, which has recorded the UNE data, since September 30 and this Thursday, generation has increased by almost 1,000 MW, a third of the demand. But part of the relief is precisely in the fall of the latter, since this Thursday it was 2,800 MW compared to 3,170 MW on December 2.
The temperatures, the Spanish agency reviews, have not risen above 34 degrees since November 26 and, in addition, there have been lows below 20 degrees, which requires less consumption in homes, which spend a lot of energy on air conditioners and fans to alleviate the heat, according to the Government’s own argument.
In addition, the graphs also show that the cuts or disconnections due to deficit forecasts (which the authorities call affectations) have fallen since November. “If on November 29 the damages accounted for 37% of the maximum demand, by December 7 they fell below 10%,” reports EFE.
As the weather cools, the repair on Felton Unit 2, which burned down this summer, continues. During yesterday’s visit, Valdés Menéndez learned that the work is 53% complete and that, currently, work is being done to dismantle the boiler and the high-medium pressure cylinder of the turbine, as well as maintenance and upkeep of various elements.
“If on November 29 the damages represented 37% of the maximum demand, by December 7 they fell below 10%”
The disassembly phase of the oven, the main steam pipes, the roof, the intermediate wall, the convective axis and other aggregates have already been passed, they explained to the commander, who asked that as many personnel as possible be involved to guarantee safety and security. the deadlines.
Felton was designated by Miguel Díaz-Canel himself as key in the recovery of energy. At the end of August, and in a tour carried out with Raúl Castro by the Holguin plant, the president affirmed that all the country’s resources were at the disposal of the thermoelectric plant, key in the recovery process of the SEN. “Felton 1 decides today the course of the recovery strategy and its startup is vital for the fulfillment of the outlined objectives, in the first order, to minimize or eliminate blackouts next December,” he explained.
In early December, the president held a tour of the countries that can potentially supply the most energy to the Island: Algeria, Turkey, China and Russia. Although the fruits of these meetings are not yet palpable in the area, Díaz-Canel urgently needs this week’s respite not to be a mirage that will vanish in the coming months with the rise in temperatures. The protests that shook the island this summer confirm that this is where his job is at stake and even the survival of the system.
________________________
Collaborate with our work:
The team of 14ymedio He is committed to doing serious journalism that reflects the reality of deep Cuba. Thank you for accompanying us on this long road. We invite you to continue supporting us, but this time becoming a member of our newspaper. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.
