Ramiro Valdés continues his tour: amidst blackouts, he inaugurates a solar park in Camagüey
In the midst of the severe energy crisis affecting the Cuban people, the historical leader of the Cuban regime, Ramiro Valdés continues to tour for the inauguration of solar parks.
The nonagenarian military official inaugurated this time the Luaces Photovoltaic Park, in the municipality of Vertientes, Camagüey, reported on Facebook by the Electric Company of that province.
The park will have a maximum active capacity of 21.8 MW, which it will be able to supply to the National Electro-Energetic System (SEN) only during the solar peak at noon, occurring between 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM.
This is the largest generation facility using one of the available renewable energy variants, the post states.
The inauguration of the solar park in Camagüey adds to the opening of similar facilities in other provinces over the past few months, in a national context of aging thermoelectric plants, postponed maintenance, and scarce fuel, where the contribution of renewable energies accounts for about 5% of the country’s energy matrix.
However, these installations come with a significant limitation: the lack of batteries to store the generated electricity, which means that solar energy can only be used in real time, during the day, without the possibility of meeting nighttime demand, when consumption is at its highest.
The ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel has promised a substantial improvement in energy capacity with the installation of new solar parks, forecasting 500 MW for the first half of this year and 1,200 MW by the end of 2025.
The official goal is to achieve 2,000 MW of solar energy by 2030.
However, at street level, the population continues to suffer from prolonged power outages and a lack of concrete information about the tangible benefits of these investments.
Blackout Saturday
This Saturday, the Electric Union (UNE) of Cuba reported that the National Electric System (SEN) continues to operate with a significant generation deficit, which has caused uninterrupted blackouts over the past 24 hours and will result in further impacts throughout the day.
On Friday, the peak impact was 1584 MW at 9:00 PM, which did not coincide with the time of maximum demand, and was higher than planned due to the non-entry of unit 6 from the CTE Mariel.
The situation remained this way throughout the early hours of today.
According to the official report, the system’s availability at 7:00 am was 1,820 megawatts (MW) compared to a demand of 2,900 MW, resulting in a deficit of 1,134 MW.
It is estimated that by noon, the impact will be around 1,100 MW.
For the peak hours tonight, the UNE estimates a capacity of 1,890 MW and a maximum demand of 3,350 MW, resulting in a deficit of 1,460 MW.
If conditions remain the same, authorities forecast an impact of up to 1,530 MW during that period.
Multiple failures and fuel shortages
The energy situation continues to be exacerbated by outages at major thermal power plants: Unit 6 of the Mariel Thermal Power Plant and Unit 2 of the Felton Thermal Power Plant are out of service due to technical issues.
In addition, another five blocks from the plants in Santa Cruz, Cienfuegos, Nuevitas, and Renté are undergoing scheduled maintenance.
This is compounded by thermal limitations that take another 294 MW offline.
The lack of fuel remains a critical factor: 68 distributed generation plants are currently shut down for this reason; 235 MW cannot operate due to a shortage of oil in the engines; in total, 749 MW are off the grid for fuel-related reasons.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Energy Crisis and Solar Parks in Cuba
What is the current situation of the electric system in Cuba?
The electrical system in Cuba is facing a severe crisis, characterized by prolonged blackouts and a significant generation deficit. The thermoelectric infrastructure is aging, maintenance has been postponed, and fuel shortages are exacerbating the situation. Currently, renewable energies, such as solar power, account for only 5% of the country’s energy matrix.
How do the new solar parks contribute to electricity generation in Cuba?
The new solar parks in Cuba aim to increase the country’s electric generation capacity through renewable energy. However, these parks face significant limitations, such as the lack of batteries for energy storage, which restricts their use to daylight hours. Despite this, it is expected that they will provide up to 2,000 MW of solar energy by 2030, according to government promises.
What real impact do investments in solar energy have for Cubans?
The impact of investments in solar energy is limited for Cubans due to the lack of adequate infrastructure for storage and distribution. Although the government promotes these projects as advancements in energy, the population continues to experience frequent power outages, and many perceive these investments more as propaganda than as effective solutions.
What are the Cuban government’s plans to improve the energy crisis?
The Cuban government has promised to build 55 solar parks with a capacity of 1,200 MW by the end of 2025. Additionally, it aims to increase renewable generation to reach 2,000 MW of solar energy by 2030. However, the lack of details regarding financing and management issues raise doubts about the feasibility of these plans.