Cuba will have blackouts in more than 21% of its territory during the evening of this Thursday, according to the daily forecasts of the state company Electrical Union (UNE).
The company’s report alludes to breakdowns, maintenance and lack of fuel to generate energy as the causes of the blackouts.
The cuts in the electrical service have continued in recent weeks, although they do not reach the 40% deficit recorded at the beginning of the year, according to the UNE.
The company belonging to Ministry of Energy and Mines For this Thursday, it foresees a maximum electricity generation capacity of 2,225 megawatts (MW) for a demand that will reach 2,750 MW.
Meanwhile, the deficit – the difference between supply and demand – will be 525 MW and the impact – what will actually be disconnected – will reach 595 MW in the “peak time” when demand increases.
The Cuban electrical network is in a very precarious state due to the lack of imported fuel and breakdowns in thermoelectric plants, obsolete due to their more than four decades of use and the lack of investments and maintenance.
The Cuban Government has rented several floating power plants (of which currently only five remain) to alleviate the lack of generation capacity, a quick but temporary, polluting and expensive solution.
The blackouts hamper the economic performance of the country, which has been plunged into a serious crisis for four years.
They have also been the trigger for the anti-government protests in recent years, including those on July 11, 2021 – the largest in decades – and those on March 17 in Santiago de Cuba and other locations. EFE (I)
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