The blackout forecast is triggered after the departure of one of the main thermoelectric units on the island.
Lima, Peru – The already serious energy situation on the island stumbles with another unexpected difficulty this weekend: Unit 1 of the Lidio Ramón Pérez Thermoelectric Central (Felton), in Holguín, faces an “unchanging stop”.
The State Electric Unión reported on the incident, noting that a breakdown in the transformer for use, has caused the departure of Felton from the national electrical system.
The thermoelectric plant will be out of the system for 20 days, almost three weeks, ensures the Facebook page of the UNE. According to the entity that period that would be used to execute a set of maintenance tasks, among which the deep cleaning of the boiler and the condenser stand out, with the aim of guaranteeing its stability once reintegrated.
The forecast of blackouts for this September 6 is high. In the peak schedule an availability of 1,665 megawatts (MW) and a maximum demand of 3,500 MW (for a deficit of 1,835 MW) is estimated, so if the planned conditions are maintained, there will be an affectation of 1,905 MW at this time.
The persistence of the blackouts has deteriorated the quality of life and beaten to essential sectors such as health, food, transport and education. Experts estimate that the island would need between 8,000 and 10,000 million dollars in investments to recover electrical capacity, in a context of deep economic crisis: the Cuban GDP 1.1 % fell in 2024, accumulates a 11 % decrease in the last five years, and ECLAC foresees another contraction by 2025.
While the Government attributes part of the problems to the sanctions of the United States, independent specialists argue that it is a structural undecariation aggravated by decades of state centralization, absence of maintenance and lack of energy planning.
The truth is that, in the eyes of the Cuban people, the solutions still do. And every new part of the UNE only results in calamity.
