Cuba advances in electrical power restoration: Western zone in process of reconnection
President Miguel Diaz-Canel has been at the forefront of the system recovery process alongside electrical technicians. (Photo: X account @DiazCanelB).
October 20, 2024 Hour: 12:29 pm
The process has already begun in the western zone once the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant is put into service.
According to Lázaro Guerra Hernández, director of electricity of the Ministry of Energy and Mines, the western zone of the country, including Havana, Mayabeque, Artemisa, and Pinar del Río, was the most affected after the disconnection of unit 1 of the Santa Cruz del Norte thermoelectric plant at 10:15 PM the previous day.
Guerra Hernández explained: “It was not possible to sustain the microsystem of the western zone, and it completely collapsed. We are concentrating our efforts on the start-up of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, which will serve as a base to restore the western zone.”
The official explained that a system has already been interconnected from Matanzas to Holguín, although this does not mean that there is electricity in the entire central-eastern region. “We have a unit in service in Nuevitas, Varadero gas, and distributed generation in several places,” he added.
The current strategy is to link the western zone with the system already established in the center and east of the country. “We are not going to create microsystems in the western zone, but rather from the already established system we are going to link up and continue increasing capacity,” explained Guerra Hernández.
Regarding the priorities in restoring the service, the director clarified that first the lines necessary to reach the generating units are energized, which benefits the circuits on that route. Subsequently, sensitive circuits such as hospitals and water supply systems are prioritized.
Guerra Hernández emphasized that an exact time cannot be given for the complete restoration: “It would be irresponsible to do so. What I can say is that we have already begun the process in the western zone once we have the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant in service.”
The official assured that the lack of fuel is not currently the main cause of the problems, but rather the unavailability of some generating units.
Autor: MFD-teleSUR
Fuente: Cubavision Internacional
