Isla de la Juventud has less than half of the available electrical capacity, while nighttime blackouts continue

The special municipality of Isla de la Juventud barely manages to sustain an electrical generation of just over 18 megawatts (MW), far below the installed capacity of 48 MW.

Just a few days ago, it had dropped to 11 MW due to various breakdowns in its units, reported the official newspaper Victoria.

The drop in electricity generation, which has worsened since June 4, has led to extended blackouts, particularly between 9:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m., with a critical point around 11:00 p.m. “This has a severe impact on the rest hours of the population and their daily performance,” confirmed Fermín Molina Alfonso, technical director of the Electric Company of Piña.

In statements to the Cuban News Agency, Molina explained that the situation worsened when unit five was taken offline for maintenance and, almost simultaneously, unit four suffered a serious breakdown. The latter, in operation since 1999 and without the updates recommended by its manufacturer, was indefinitely halted while awaiting foreign technical assistance.

As an emergency measure, their generator was moved to unit three, although this unit also requires repairs and is not fully operational due to a lack of parts.

This partial collapse forced the Electric Company to redistribute the available energy through a mixed circuit scheme that affects both state and private entities, but impacts the residential sector more severely.

The deficit prevents meeting the average demand of the territory, calculated at 26 MW, which leaves the population at a direct disadvantage compared to institutional consumption.

In parallel, efforts are being made to recover old engines, such as the MAN generators that have been inactive for over two decades. Their rehabilitation, with foreign technical support, could provide an additional 10 MW, although there is no specific date for their activation.

The reintegration of two units is also expected to add an additional 3 MW at the beginning of next week, while maintenance on units three and five continues, with the .

The situation regarding technical support is not improving. Local brigades have received assistance from workers in Sancti Spíritus and several national organizations, who are trying, during extended hours, to mitigate the impact of the blackouts. However, the definitive solution remains reliant on the arrival of parts and resources that are not available in the country.

The energy restrictions imposed by the Municipal Energy Council include the suspension of air conditioning use in non-technical offices, the closing of private bars before 6:00 p.m., and the mandatory use of generators in facilities that have them. Essential services such as bakeries and the aqueduct of Nueva Gerona have been prioritized in the so-called "critical circuits."

In the medium term, authorities have committed to a program to expand the solar park with 15.5 MW of photovoltaic panels and storage systems for nighttime use. They are also promoting a "cultural transformation" that encourages the use of energy during the day.

But none of these strategies addresses the immediate urgency of a population that spends nights without electricity, leading to physical and emotional exhaustion.

The lack of effective communication has also been identified as an aggravating factor. Although information has been reported through official channels, the delay in updating data and the absence of clear and empathetic messages have allowed rumors and misinformation to flourish on social media. The need for a coherent and consistent communication strategy remains unaddressed.

Despite the efforts of the electrical workers and the measures in place, the local energy system continues to operate at its limits. The authorities hope to get through the summer months without widespread outages, provided no new breakdowns occur, Molina stated.

However, under the current circumstances, that remains a risky bet.

For years, Cubans repeated almost like a mantra that "in the Isle of Youth, the power never goes out." And it wasn’t just a popular belief, last March, official media acknowledged that this territory had its own electricity generation, with sufficient capacity to avoid blackouts, even during massive outages affecting the entire larger island.

But reality dismantled the myth, and the island territory began to suffer from scheduled power outages, just as they occur throughout the day and into the early morning across the rest of the country.

Many point out that the beginning of scheduled power outages started after the visit of the ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel, who traveled to the special municipality accompanied by commander Ramiro Valdés -leading the strategy for the "recovery" of the National Electric System- to attend the central event for the 70th anniversary of the release of the dictator Fidel Castro from what is known as the Presidio Modelo.

The crisis has sparked an unprecedented movement of citizen discontent that goes beyond simple complaints about blackouts. Social media users recently spread messages calling for the independence of this Cuban territory, demanding their own republic, free from the control of the central government in Havana.

The energy crisis in Cuba is deepening in severity with figures that leave no room for doubt. This Saturday, June 29, the country recorded a maximum impact of 1,936 megawatts (MW), marking the worst day of the year and a new record in a series of collapses of the National Electric Power System (SEN).

Frequently Asked Questions about the Energy Crisis in the Isle of Youth