The solution and improvement will be gradual, based on the resources that are being imported to manufacture the spare parts required by our thermoelectric power plants and generators

Author: Wennys Diaz Ballaga | internet@granma.cu

Author: Laura Mercedes Giráldez | internet@granma.cu

Author: Milagros Pichardo Pérez | internet@granma.cu

Author: Gladys Leydis Ramos López | internet@granma.cu

The National Electric System (SEN in Spanish) is expected to recover 489 megawatts (MW) currently unavailable and 531 MW through other investments, as part of the gradual recovery of the electric system, an essential strategy in view of the difficult conditions the sector is currently facing, which affect the stability of the electric service to the population and the economy. Liván Arronte Cruz, Minister of Energy and Mines recalled on Wednesday’s Round Table that SEN continues to face complex circumstances, since the thermal power plants (CTE in Spanish) Máximo Gómez, in Mariel, and Lidio Ramón Pérez, in Felton, Holguín, suffered breakdowns that made it impossible to comply with the commitment to guarantee the generation for these summer months thus losing the minimum operating reserve in the system to cover the demand. "As it happens with every extraordinary event, the failures have been investigated by multidisciplinary teams, integrated by the competent authorities and it has been demonstrated that there was no negligence or intentionality," he pointed out.   In the case of the Mariel thermoelectric plant, the breakdown is in unit 7, where a fire occurred, which also damaged systems and disabled unit 6, which had been in operation just for a few months, he pointed out. The replacement for the damaged spare parts and equipment have a delivery window of more than 26 weeks, which is why it has not yet been possible to repair this unit. At Felton, work was carried out for 120 days, 24 hours a day. Although the fire that took place there was not of great magnitude, it affected technological systems, especially the main columns of that unit, and for that reason the repair will require practically dismantling the boiler, he said. Referring to the gradual nature of these efforts, Arronte Cruz said that there is the will to make the repairs in the shortest possible time, but even with the money and the processes available, the manufacturing and assembly of the generation systems takes time. As an example, he explained that the capital maintenance of a thermoelectric power plant can last between seven or eight months or, in some cases, take up to a year, depending on the has a duration of between seven or eight months and, in some, up to one year, depending on the depths of the works. The minister insisted that they are working intensively to recover the electric system. “It is an industry that works around the clock, and we are working at the same time on the cleaning and the different maintenances: partial, extended partial and capital, which will start to be projected as soon as the resources are available.” Regarding the recovery, he explained that it will happen in the thermal generation and the distributed generation, and they expect to recover 198 MW in the latter. All the actions are being carried out with foreign investment and with resources from our country, he added. These actions have to be complemented with a program aimed at reducing the demand and consumption of electricity while this emergency situation lasts, to compensate for the high consumption in some of the sectors, he said. "The energy context is complex worldwide. In the case of Cuba, the situation is further aggravated by the persistence of the U.S. blockade. There are concrete examples, known facts, of how the measures and sanctions imposed by the U.S. government have directly affected the execution of works in the electric system and the energy sector in general," said the Minister of Energy and Mines. He elucidated that 56 of the 243 measures applied by the Trump Administration, which are still in force, directly affect the Cuban Energy and Mines sector. THE LOSS OF FOUR BLOCKS IS NOT PERMANENT Edier Guzmán Pacheco, director of Thermal Generation of the Electrical Union (UNE in Spanish), insisted that the country has 20 thermal blocks in the electrical system, of which only 16 are operating. Four of them have temporarily stopped operating, as a result of large-scale breakdowns. In the case of the unit 7 at Mariel, and the fire that broke out there and also affected unit 6, he stated that the actions of the operations personnel were correct. "They were very timely and even faced the fire. Otherwise, the losses would have been greater."   He referred to the similar event at boiler 2 in Felton, a block that was planned to generate during the summer. Then, block 4 of 10 de Octubre thermoelectric power plant, located in Nuevitas, came to a halt due to the deterioration of the boiler. The boiler has been scheduled for capital maintenance for more than ten years now, but it keeps been postponed because of the lack of resources. "The loss of these blocks is temporary, but the recovery is not immediate. Each one of them has a planned scope and a well-defined program to recover its power, but we do not have the financial resources in all cases," he added. He detailed that in Mariel's block 7, the roof structure was damaged in the fire, "we are going to rebuild it with national forces, but it requires a replacement of the turbine, the generator and all the auxiliary boiler, electrical and automatic equipment.” Today we do not have the financing which, in the case of this block, ranges approximately between 90 and 100 million dollars and he indicated they are seeking for credit alternatives. "In this scenario, to the 2,608 MW installed in thermal generation we have to subtract the 565 MW of installed power and about 460 MW of real power of these four blocks," he added. The UNE executive said that the rest of the 16 blocks of the National Electricity System remain in operation and generating, but they may present breakdowns of different degrees and also with maintenance work. "Today (yesterday) we woke up with one block under maintenance in Renté 3 (90 MW), while block 2 of Ernesto Guevara (100 MW) and block 1 of Felton (260 MW) had breakdowns." THE RECOVERY STRATEGY Omar Ramírez Mendoza, deputy director of UNE, indicated that a strategy has been drawn up to maintain the existing generation, recover from the limitations in generation and add new power. He pointed out that the availability of generation of SEN has been decreasing considerably since July of this year, and as a consequence there has been an increase in the service affectation, which has exceeded 1,100 MW on some occasions in August. He reiterated that since our thermal power plant has an average age of 35 years, it requires a constant balance between the recovery of power and the occurrence of important failures and limitations in each of the blocks. In this respect, he pointed out that there is an intervention program until the end of the year, which will make it possible to halt the decrease in the available power capacity until a point of equilibrium is reached, in order to incorporate and grow in new power. He informed that light and partial maintenance of thermal generation blocks is planned until December. In the coming months, they will be carried out in blocks 3 and 4 of the Antonio Maceo CTE, in Santiago de Cuba; and in block 4 of the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes CTE, in Cienfuegos. In September, light maintenance will be carried out on the Antonio Guiteras CTE, with the aim of reaching a power of 270 MW, he added. Moreover, based on the financing granted by the country, an increase in the availability of distributed generation is expected until the end of the year. It is expected that fuel engines will add around 118 MW, and diesel engines; around 80 MW. It is also expected, via foreign investment, the installation of the fuel oil engines of Mariel and Moa, which would incorporate 276 MW to the system between September and December. Regarding the incorporation of new power, the Deputy Director of the UNE said that it consists of the installation of 240 MW of mobile generation, also with the participation of foreign investment, which should be available before the end of the year. In addition, work will be carried out in the three renewable energy projects that are expected to be completed by the end of 2022, two of them also with foreign capital. Therefore, it is estimated that the generation capacity will surpass the demand by the end of the year, although the reserve values will not be enough to face the halt of a large block. For these reasons, it is still necessary to reinforce the savings strategy, designed to face the energy contingency in the coming months, stressed Elaine Moreno Carnet, deputy head of the Secretariat of the Ministry of Energy and Mines, who also pointed out the measures that are promoted in all sectors of the national economy to make a better use of energy, although saving energy will not completely reduce the levels of affectation. Caption: In the Cuban electricity industry not a minute has been lost, there is no discouragement in any of the workers. Photo: Cuban News Agency (ACN in Spanish) Translated by ESTI

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