The ruling Miguel Díaz-Canel asserted this Friday, during a television appearance, that the Cuban Government is already implementing measures to address the energy crisis, although he admitted that their results are not yet perceived “in all their dimensions” due to the magnitude of the problem.
"There are solutions, but the magnitude of the problem is so great that they are not visible," he cynically asserted while defending the official response amid prolonged blackouts and linking the deterioration of the electrical system to what he called the "energy blockade" imposed by the United States.
The leader presented the energy situation as the issue that is causing the most "discomfort" and "unease" among the population at this time.
In his explanation, he emphasized that the recent worsening of power outages is due to the intensification of that "energy blockade" and stated that the country had been preparing in advance for this scenario with "a whole set of proposed actions" and measures that, he mentioned, are already in development.
Is the blame on the "blockade"?
Díaz-Canel stated that no fuel has entered the country in the last three months. He justified that in light of this situation, Cuba has been generating electricity during the day using national crude oil, thermoelectric plants, and contributions from renewable energy sources, especially photovoltaic parks, which he noted accounted for between 49 and 51 percent depending on sunlight and system conditions.
He added that at night, the generation relies on thermal power plants and the associated gas from the extraction of national crude oil.
In his remarks, he detailed that prior to last week, there were still certain supplies of fuel oil and diesel that were being used at two key locations in the electric power system: distributed generation engines in Moa and a system of engines in Mariel.
However, he assured that, after three months without fuel supply, those reserves were depleted and a "considerable number of megawatts" left the system, especially during peak and nighttime hours.
From there, he described a chain of technical consequences that, according to him, led the system to a state of great instability.
He pointed out that the departure of those plants caused fluctuations, a sudden exit from the Guiteras thermoelectric power plant, and subsequently a "blackout," without referring to it as a massive blackout.
In its justification, it also argued that the recovery of the system required fuel even in the island groups to provide initial signals that would allow thermal power plants to start up and synchronize photovoltaic parks.
"It's not the same crisis, he/she says."
The official differentiated the current crisis from previous moments. He stated that in January and February, the Government had managed to keep power outages “not exceeding” those in December and that it had controlled the situation “effectively” with the strategies implemented, although he acknowledged that there were already prolonged outages.
According to their version, the difference lies in the fact that those additional capabilities for distributed generation have now been lost, which has made the system much more fragile.
Díaz-Canel also affirmed that Cuba has over 1,400 megawatts of recovered distributed generation available, but has been unable to utilize them due to a lack of fuel.
He argued that if the country had that resource, it could add that generation at night, significantly reduce the peak hour deficit, and lessen the impact.
He also noted that instability requires managing solar energy "with caution." As he explained, it is not always possible to harness the full capacity of photovoltaic parks during the day, because the system needs to regulate frequency by adjusting the connection of those parks to prevent further collapses.
In his appearance, Díaz-Canel acknowledged the significant social impact of the crisis. He stated that there have been circuits and communities, not only in Havana but also in the provinces, experiencing more than 30 hours of blackout, and he admitted that this provokes "excitability," "discontent," and "anguish" among the population.
He added that the lack of electricity simultaneously impacts the supply and pumping of water, productive services, communications, healthcare, education, and transportation.
Despite that acknowledgment, the ruler rejected that the responsibility lies with the Government, the Revolution, or the Electric Union.
"The blame is not on the government, the blame is not on the revolution," he stated.
Instead, he attributed the situation directly to the "energy blockade" and praised the efforts of workers in the electricity sector, describing them as "titans" who, he said, work long hours even as their own families also suffer from power outages.
Díaz-Canel also lamented that, amid the discontent he deemed legitimate, there are individuals who respond by "insulting" the Revolution, the Government, or the electric utility. In his view, the country is doing "everything possible" to overcome an exceptional situation.
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