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Cuba woke up this Tuesday on the brink of a new energy collapse. The report from the published by the Electric Union (UNE) forecasts a deficit of 1,900 megawatts (MW) during peak night hours, with impacts that could reach 1,970 MW, figures that confirm another day of widespread blackouts across the island.
According to the official report, the availability of the SEN at 6:00 AM was only 1,300 MW, compared to a demand of 2,422 MW, which was already causing disruptions from the early hours of the day. The UNE acknowledged that yesterday, Monday, the service was interrupted for 24 hours, with a maximum impact of 2,185 MW at 6:10 PM.
The state-owned company attributed the system collapse to simultaneous failures at several thermoelectric plants, including Unit 5 of the Máximo Gómez CTE, Unit 3 of Cienfuegos, Unit 6 of Diez de Octubre, Unit 2 of Felton, and Unit 6 of Renté. Additionally, it acknowledged limitations in thermal generation and the lack of fuel, which keeps 98 distributed generation plants (895 MW) and an additional 83 MW out of service due to a shortage of lubricants.
The official narrative: blame the "financial blockade"
Hours before the new technical report, the UNE published on its Facebook page in which it held the "financial blockade" by the United States responsible for the instability of the electrical system. The message states that “without foreign currency there is no fuel, without foreign currency there is no maintenance, without foreign currency there is no modernization” and concludes that “without an end to the financial blockade, there will be no permanent energy stability.”
However, that explanation has been met with a wave of indignation. On social media, hundreds of Cubans responded with criticism and sarcasm towards the official justification. “The blockade no longer convinces anyone,” wrote an internet user, while another questioned: “If the blockade existed when there was light, why doesn't it now?.” Other users were more direct: “The real blockade is the internal one,” “They talk about a blockade, but the blockade is what you impose on the lives of the people.”
Protests and potbanging amidst the blackout
Social discontent also spilled into the streets. During the night of Monday and the early hours of Tuesday, protests and pot-banging took place in various parts of the country. According to reports on social media, residents of Marianao, Regla, Alamar, Santos Suárez, San Miguel del Padrón, and the University of Camagüey took to the streets with pots, candles, and slogans demanding the restoration of electric service.
Videos shared by the dissenting rapper El Funky showed dozens of people blocking streets in Marianao while shouting for “light, food, and freedom.” The artist wrote on social media: “The people of Marianao know what to do when the power goes out.” The independent journalist José Raúl Gallego warned from Mexico that “the night is heating up, with protests confirmed in several parts of the country.”
The Cuban Observatory of Conflicts (OCC) reported in November a record of 1,326 protests across the island, characterized by demands for electricity, food, and civil liberties. While the regime remains silent, the people continue to protest with pots, candles, and fire.
A collapsed system with no visible way out
The continuous blackouts, the lack of maintenance, the deterioration of thermoelectric plants, and the shortage of fuel have brought the SEN to a critical situation. On the previous day, according to CiberCuba's report, 62% of the country was left without electricity, during the most severe blackout of the year.
Despite the government's rhetoric, the electrical crisis reflects the collapse of an outdated and centralized energy model, unable to ensure a basic and sustained supply for the population. While the authorities blame the U.S. embargo, millions of Cubans are surviving amid heat, hunger, and darkness.
If the blockade is the problem, then there will never be light, because they are not going to lift it. Is that the solution? To live in perpetual blackout, wrote a user, summarizing the sentiment of a weary country that no longer believes in official excuses.
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