At a press conference, the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O, provided details on the status of the National Electric System, ongoing maintenance, and solutions to unscheduled unit outages.
The blackouts worsened this week due to the combination of the Felton 1 outage, a failure at the Mariel engine site, the Nuevitas 5 trip, and the failure to power Renté Block 5 after maintenance, according to his statements.
Regarding floating generation (floating power plants), O Levy explained that, of the eight units, only two remain in the country, which together provide 70 MW. One of the reasons the floating power plants were removed was the inability to pay their service contracts.
The worsening impacts also occur against a backdrop of aging technologies, delayed maintenance, and a lack of the necessary financing for major infrastructure projects.
Positive Aspects for Short-, Medium-, and Long-Term Generation
- This weekend, Felton Unit 1, with over 220 MW, is scheduled to be incorporated into the SEN, and adjustments to Renté 5 are expected to be completed. The engine failure at Mariel has already been resolved.
- There are 650 MW of solar generation installed in the country, helping to sustain part of the demand during the day. Unión Eléctrica remains committed to synchronizing the remaining photovoltaic parks to reach 1,000 MW by December. The first batch of battery systems is about to be shipped, allowing energy storage and regulating the system's frequency.
- During the month of October, Unit 4 of the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes CTE and Unit 2 of Santa Cruz del Norte, both undergoing maintenance, are scheduled to be incorporated into the SEN. These units were scheduled for the summer but were not incorporated.
- Resources are available to undertake the comprehensive intervention of the Antonio Guiteras CTE starting in December. It coincides with the time when the lowest electricity demands of the year occur.
Regarding the availability of fuel and lubricants, the Minister of Energy and Mines stated that this is not the worst period for distributed generation. The biggest problem has been oils, a situation that should improve in the coming days, he concluded.
