HAVANA (AP).— Cuba experienced its worst day of blackouts this year on Thursday night, leaving nearly half of its users, including homes, workplaces and others, without electricity due to a national energy deficit of more than 45 percent, sector officials reported yesterday.
The island, which faces blackouts that can last from a few minutes to more than eight hours, had already experienced days of electricity shortages of between 30 and 40% in February and March, and in recent days, but Thursday’s figure was a record.
According to the forecasts of the authorities of the Electric Union (UNE), the state-owned company that oversees all activity related to the generation and distribution of electricity, demand for peak hour (night) on Thursday would reach 3,250 megawatts.
In contrast, “the impact reached 1,514 megawatts, the largest we have had in recent times,” said engineer Lázaro Guerra, director of Electricity at the Ministry of Energy, which also oversees the Electric Union.
The highest demand was at 8.20pm, the official said in a statement to national television, taking stock of a day that he considered “complex”.
The Cuban summer, which is particularly hot, usually has a high demand for electricity, which is more acute in the afternoon and evening, when families also use energy for cooking.
As part of its energy problems, Cuba has also had to carry out scheduled power cuts in recent times based on a calendar that informs the population when they will be without electricity.
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2024-09-25 18:54:07
