Random “crashes” multiply, and a fourth total blackout is feared
14ymedio, Madrid, 14 December 2024 — Five days after the arrival in Havana of the new Turkish floating power plant, the Cankuthan Bey, the Cuban Electric Union (UNE) acknowledged its presence. The UNE confirmed on X this Friday that, as published by 14ymedio, the ‘patana’, as the plants are called, arrived last Sunday. However, it also said that the plant will not alleviate the energy situation in any way, because it is in the country only “to work on starting up its units and once concluded will leave Cuba.”
The brief tweet adds: “This floating power plant is not part of the UNE contract with the Turkish company Karen Dis Ticaret.” This also confirms the denial of the state company, on October 25, of the report offered by the official journalist Luis Carlos Céspedes, who had stated that the Island had contracted a new floating power plant from Turkey, one of the “most modern” with the capacity to contribute between 50 and 80 megawatts (MW) to the electricity grid, which represented “significant support in the midst of the current electricity supply problems.”
“The arrival of a new Floating Patana is not true. We ask all users to consult our official pages,” the UNE requested in its information channels
“This floating power plant is not part of the UNE contract with the Turkish company Karen Dis Ticaret”
It was foreseeable, in any case, that, with only 80 MW of production, the contribution of the Cankuthan Bey plant to the national electrical system (SEN) would be modest. For this Friday, the state-owned company predicted a deficit that, as usual, exceeded 1,000 MW (1,025), with a demand of 3,020 MW and an availability of 1,995 MW. The real “affectation” would be 1,095 MW, at peak time, late at night, although, as also happens day by day, it was finally greater, 1,412 MW.
For the same demand, this Saturday, the UNE predicts less availability, 1,892 MW, with which there will be a minimum deficit of 1,128 MW. The expected affectation at peak time is 1,198 MW.
Cubans continue to suffer constant blackouts, and although the UNE explains through its social networks that they are due to random “crashes,” many fear a fourth total blackout before the end of the year. The first occurred on October 18, when the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric power plant, the largest in the country, left the SEN, something that was repeated in the third crash of the system, on December 4. The second complete blackout occurred on November 6, with the passage of Hurricane Rafael through the western part of the Island, whose effects continue.
The power cuts have also affected the sale of fuel, which in itself is scarce. This Friday, in one of the Telegram groups through which the authorities try to organize the gas lines – which can take three days – manager Pedro Garce reported the interruption of service at the Cupet Tángana, in El Vedado, Havana, due a broken pump. “Do not come to the service center; we will let you know when it’s fixed,” he wrote in capital letters in the group. A little later, he added: “The Tángana gas pump is still broken, now accompanied by electrical problems. Don’t worry, when it’s restored we’ll let you know.” Early this Saturday, he reported the repair: “The engine fuel pump in the Tángana was repaired, and another one was incorporated. We readjusted the call [for customers] from 8 am today.”
Translated by Regina Anavy
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