In a new example of the erratic priorities of the Cuban government, the director of the Electric Union of Cuba (UNE), Alfredo López Valdés, appeared on National Television to explain an unusual security plan aimed at preventing the theft of dielectric oil from electrical transformers.
In the program Hacemos Cuba, hosted by the official spokesperson Humberto López, the executive detailed measures such as the installation of surveillance cameras, the use of fiber optics for real-time image transmission, and the placement of "metal caps" on the transformer valves to prevent oil extraction.
While Cubans endure constant blackouts and the National Electric System (SEN) is in a critical state, with thermoelectric plants out of service and an energy deficit affecting daily life and the economy of the country, the UNE seems more focused on protecting its equipment from minor thefts than on implementing a serious investment plan to stabilize electricity generation.
The appearance of López Valdés sparked outrage among the population, who quickly took to social media to question the absurdity of allocating resources to sophisticated security systems for minor SEN infrastructures when power plants fail due to lack of maintenance and spare parts.
The executive himself acknowledged the fragility of the electrical system, but instead of announcing concrete solutions to improve the infrastructure, he focused his speech on explaining how the "metal hoods" will make it harder to access the oil in the transformers.
"Now we are not only going to put a cap on the valve, but we will also install cameras, some visible and others not, to monitor the transformers in real time via fiber optic," explained López Valdés, in front of the attentive gaze of the presenter and the other guests, the head prosecutor of Mayabeque, Lourdes Pedroso Parés, and Captain Roberto Batista Fernández, the chief instructor of the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation of the Ministry of the Interior MININT.
In response to the regime's spokesperson's insistence, the official emphasized the warning: “We are going to install cameras. The camera may be exposed or not, it may be visible or not visible... but there will be cameras,” he indicated in a subtly threatening tone.
In many places where we have fiber optics in the substations, we will be continuously transmitting the information from the camera to a center, meaning that they will be able to see it in real time, at that moment... And we are going to create a mechanism so that, quickly, people can access it at that time,” the leader added.
The decisions made by the state-owned enterprise highlighted a glaring contradiction in the management of the country's energy crisis: instead of focusing on addressing the structural issues of electricity generation and distribution, the UNE is prioritizing a surveillance system that, while it may reduce the theft of dielectric oil, will not resolve the energy collapse that Cubans are experiencing.
López Valdés's television intervention seems to be part of the government strategy to divert attention from the state’s inefficiency in managing the SEN. While the UNE focuses on hoods and surveillance cameras, citizens continue to face prolonged blackouts, with no real prospects for improvement in the electricity supply.
A media manipulation strategy
Alfredo López Valdés's intervention is part of a broader strategy of media manipulation orchestrated by the Cuban regime to divert attention from the energy crisis.
Days before his appearance, the official spokesperson Humberto López laid the groundwork with a post on his social media in which he tried to shift the government's responsibility for the blackouts, justifying the situation with arguments of sabotage and theft of essential materials for energy production.
In the broadcast of the program, the official presenter insisted that the problems with the electricity system are the result of acts of vandalism, overlooking the accumulated deterioration caused by years of lack of investment and corruption within the state energy sector.
For months now, the energy crisis in Cuba has reached critical levels, with prolonged blackouts affecting both the population and key sectors of the economy.
The obsolescence of thermoelectric plants, the lack of fuel, and administrative corruption have been identified by experts as the true causes of the collapse of the SEN. However, the government prefers to focus its narrative on the existence of "saboteurs" to justify its inability to manage the crisis.
The implementation of measures such as installing cameras and metal hoods, rather than addressing the root of the problem, reinforces the notion that the Cuban government chooses cosmetic and media strategies instead of implementing real solutions to improve electricity generation and distribution in the country.
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