Cuba's state-owned power company announces new days of blackouts

Power outages will continue this Thursday in Cuba, especially during peak hours, due to an affectation of nearly 11% of the energy demand.

The Electrical Union (UNE) forecasts an impact of 327 megawatts (MW) since it only has 2,593 MW and the estimated demand is 2,850 MW.

The state-owned company informed that the blackouts continued during the early hours of last morning with a deficit of 698 MW, much higher than the estimated 431 MW.

Currently, four thermoelectric units are out of service due to breakdowns and two others are still under maintenance, according to UNE.

"All consumption restriction measures are implemented in the state sector," added the company attached to the Ministry of Energy and Mines.

In recent months, UNE has reported more than 300 affectations in many of the 13 thermoelectric power plants (eight terrestrial and five floating) in the country.

The Cuban Presidency reports daily on energy generation and demand in the country, reflecting the importance of this issue in economic and political terms.

Blackouts were one of the factors behind the anti-government protests last July, along with shortages, inflation and political grievances.