Energy Minister speaks out after tense day of blackouts: "The fuel is in Cuban ports."

The Minister of Energy and Mines of Cuba, Vicente de la O Levy, spoke this Wednesday about the critical situation of the National Electric System (SEN), affected by constant blackouts, assuring that the fuel that could alleviate the crisis "is in Cuban ports," but is not being unloaded.

The official journalist Lázaro Manuel Alonso shared on Facebook the statements made by the head of the department, ironically during the inauguration of the Third International Renewable Energy Fair.

Vicente de la O Levy stated that the fuel "is in Cuban ports on the ships" and that there will soon be a solution for its unloading, all while the population continues to endure daily blackouts and a generation deficit that exceeded 1,300 MW this Tuesday.

The minister indicated that, in a "financial sacrifice for the country," the unloading of fuel is scheduled to take place between this Wednesday and Thursday, presenting as a great achievement the fact that "large amounts of money are paid weekly."

Despite the "good news," the long-awaited relief will take time to arrive, as the head of the department clarified that "after the discharge, the process of transportation to the generators and service centers will begin."

In addition, Vicente de la O Levy tried to justify the crisis by stating that “in Cuba, 3,000 tons of hydrocarbons are consumed daily. A ship of 20,000 tons is sufficient for a week. Two or three ships are needed over seven days to supply diesel, gasoline, liquefied gas, fuel oil, and turbo fuel,” something that, according to him, is impossible due to the fact that the Cuban economy is “restricted,” leaving no room for hope of improvement.

In addition to the fuel shortages, the worsening of the current crisis of the SEN is marked by the shutdown of several generating units due to breakdowns.

According to the Ministry of Energy, the Mariel 8 thermoelectric plant in Artemisa is expected to come back online this Thursday, while the Diez de Octubre 5 unit in Camagüey could be ready in four to five days after the repair of leaks in its boiler.

However, the Céspedes 4 thermoelectric plant in Cienfuegos did not manage to resume operations this Tuesday, and La Habana 1 in Mayabeque is expected to return to service on Friday after a repair to its pipes.

The energy crisis is deepening in Cuba, where power outages last longer each day in all provinces.

This Wednesday at 7:00 am, the availability of the National Electroenergetic System (SEN) was 1830 MW and the demand was 2790 MW, with 959 MW affected. By noon, a greater impact was estimated, of 1150 MW.

During peak hours, the deficit will be 1320 MW, with an impact of 1390 MW.

Six blocks of the CTE Mariel, Santa Cruz, Nuevitas, Felton, and Rente are out of order.

In addition, 59 distributed generation power plants are out of service due to a lack of fuel (582 MW affected), and the limitations in thermal generation are 424 MW.