State energy company forecasts blackouts in 16% of Cuba this Tuesday

Blackouts will affect 16% of Cuba during peak power consumption hours in the afternoon-evening, state-owned Unión Eléctrica (UNE) reported on Tuesday.

The country began the week with power outages, after several consecutive days with no effects.

UNE forecasts for the day a generation capacity of 2,450 megawatts (MW) during peak hours and an estimated demand of 2,850 MW.

With these indicators, the deficit - the difference between supply and demand - will be 500 MW and the impact - what will actually be disconnected - will amount to 470 MW.

The Cuban electricity system is going through a complex situation in which the failures and breakdowns of its eight terrestrial thermoelectric power plants, most of them more than 30 years old, the lack of investments and the fuel deficit weigh heavily.

In addition, in the last five years it has rented several floating power plants to alleviate the lack of generation capacity.

The Cuban government scheduled maintenance work during the first months of the year so that the generating plants would be in optimal conditions for the summer months in July and August.

Blackouts increased at the beginning of 2023 following failures in the national power grid that left more than half of the country without electricity.