The energy crisis in Cuba continues to worsen. The Electric Union (UNE) reported this Thursday that the country is experiencing a significant deficit in electrical generation, which has forced widespread blackouts to be maintained over the last 24 hours.
The situation has ignited social unrest, with new protests reported in the eastern part of the country.
According to the official report, the highest outage recorded on Wednesday reached 1,578 megawatts (MW) at 9:00 PM, coinciding with the peak demand period.
During the early hours of this Thursday, electricity service remained interrupted in much of the national territory. The system's availability at 7:00 am was just 1,810 MW, far below the 2,940 MW that the country requires under normal conditions.
The current impact is 1,144 MW, while at noon an impact of 1,080 MW is expected.
During the nighttime peak, an alarming deficit of 1,520 MW is expected, with a projected impact of up to 1,570 MW.
This gap reflects the severe structural crisis of the Cuban electrical system, which has been plagued by decades of deterioration, fuel shortages, and lack of investment.
Main incidents
Unit 2 of the Felton thermoelectric plant is out of service.
Another five blocks from the Santa Cruz, Cienfuegos, Nuevitas, and Renté plants are undergoing maintenance.
Additionally, 44 distributed generation plants with a capacity of 291 MW are out of service due to fuel issues. Furthermore, 169 MW are affected by a lack of oil in distributed generation motors, resulting in a total impact of 460 MW.
The limitations in thermal generation are 289 MW, while the energy production from the 12 new photovoltaic solar parks only reaches 1,369 MWh.
On the other hand, the energy production from the 12 photovoltaic solar parks reaches 1,369 MWh.
The Electric Company of Havana has published a new schedule of power cuts in the capital, which will affect various municipalities in blocks from 10:00 AM to midnight.
The distribution is as follows:
Block #3: from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Block #4: from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
Block #5: from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Block #1: from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Block #2: from 8:00 PM to 12:00 AM
This measure, which aims to distribute the impact of the deficit, has generated outrage among sectors of the population that are already suffering from outages lasting up to 20 hours.
In the Wednesday edition of the program Mesa Redonda, the director of UNE, Alfredo López Valdés, acknowledged the seriousness of the situation.
"There are long hours of blackouts that make it impossible to rotate the circuits. We are working on the repair of five generating units that, once synchronized, will provide more than 500 megawatts," he said.
However, López Valdés also acknowledged that distributed generation, while it has managed to reach up to 1,000 MW of technical availability, cannot operate consistently due to the shortage of diesel.
The lack of fuel remains the biggest obstacle to ensuring a stable supply, especially in rural areas and during critical hours.
This situation is compounded by the announcement that the Antonio Guiteras (Matanzas) and Felton 1 (Holguín) thermoelectric plants will be taken out of service in the coming weeks for preventive maintenance, which could further exacerbate the crisis during the months of peak demand.
The deterioration of the energy system has been the catalyst for new social protests.
On Wednesday, residents of the Micro 9 neighborhood in Santiago de Cuba took to the streets amid a prolonged blackout, demanding access to electricity and food.
"Current! Food!" could be heard in the videos that briefly circulated on social media before internet access in the area was cut off.
In Bayamo, Granma province, residents of the Jabaquito neighborhood blocked a bridge as a form of protest, while concentrations were also reported in zone 20 of Siboney.
The government's response was immediate: militarization of the areas, digital blockade, and dissemination of images of apparent normality by its propaganda apparatus.
The situation in Cuba is becoming increasingly unsustainable. As the electrical system collapses, so does the patience of a population that faces, amidst endless blackouts, a chronic shortage of food, medicine, and basic rights.
Frequently asked questions about the energy crisis in Cuba
Why do blackouts persist in Cuba?
Power outages in Cuba persist due to a significant deficit in electricity generation, which has reached alarming figures, exceeding 1,500 MW on several occasions. This situation is attributed to a lack of investment in electrical infrastructure, fuel shortages, and the deterioration of generating units. The Cuban government has been unable to implement effective solutions to mitigate this crisis, which severely impacts the daily lives of citizens.
How does the electricity generation deficit affect the Cuban population?
The electricity generation deficit in Cuba affects the population with prolonged blackouts that interrupt essential services such as water supply, food preservation, and internet access. These outages also negatively impact the economy and increase social unrest, leading to protests in various regions of the country. The lack of electricity makes daily life difficult and generates significant frustration among citizens.
What measures has the Cuban government taken to address the energy crisis?
The Cuban government has attempted to tackle the energy crisis by repairing generating units and incorporating photovoltaic solar parks, but these actions have been insufficient. The regime's initiatives fail to compensate for the serious energy deficit due to the lack of fuel and the deterioration of infrastructure. Furthermore, the control measures and official propaganda have been criticized for their ineffectiveness and lack of transparency.
What has been the population's response to the blackouts in Cuba?
The response of the Cuban population to the blackouts has been one of increasing discontent and social protests. In various regions of the country, citizens have taken to the streets to demand access to basic services such as electricity and food. The government has responded to these demonstrations with measures of control and censorship, such as interrupting internet access and disseminating propaganda of normalcy.
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