After several days of protests in Havana due to the prolonged blackouts and the widespread crisis in the country, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel once again “exonerated” his administration from any responsibility, stating that “the fault does not lie with the Government, the fault does not lie with the Revolution, the fault does not lie with our National Electric Power System.”
In his “dialogue” with the press on March 13th, where questions and answers seemed part of an intensely choreographed script, the leader blamed the United States for the worsening energy crisis on the island; he stated that the country has not received fuel for the past three months.
Díaz-Canel assured that the electrical system is experiencing a situation of instability due, in part, to the recent depletion of diesel and fuel oil reserves that were used to sustain some electricity generation during peak demand hours. As he explained, these limitations have led to the disconnection of several distributed generation units that had been contributing electricity to the system until recently.
The leader pointed out that the country currently generates energy primarily from domestic crude oil in thermal power plants, associated gas from oil extraction, and contributions from renewable sources. He noted that photovoltaic generation has accounted for between 49% and 51% during the day, although he acknowledged that the instability of the system necessitates limiting its use to prevent further electrical outages.
In his speech, however, there were no references to the impact of years of mismanagement, lack of investment, or poor credit administration, among many other internal factors that have led to an almost irreversible structural deterioration of the national electric system (SEN).
It was also not acknowledged that the prolonged blackouts, even with several failures of the National Electric System, are not a phenomenon of the last three months, but rather have been ongoing for years, during which tens of thousands of barrels of crude oil were arriving in the country daily; part of which the government resold.
Díaz-Canel explained that the shutdown of generation motors located in Moa and Mariel, due to the depletion of available fuel, significantly reduced the country's energy capacity, increasing the power deficit during nighttime hours. According to his statement, if the system had the necessary fuel, up to 1,400 megawatts of additional distributed generation could be incorporated.
The leader also acknowledged that the system has suffered episodes of electrical collapse, including a recent blackout which, as he explained, was caused by the abrupt shutdown of a generation unit that created fluctuations in the national grid. He added that the recovery of the system was hindered by the shortage of fuel necessary to start the thermal power plants and synchronize other sources of generation.
Without the supply from Venezuela or Mexico, the island has been left at the mercy of the very heavy national crude, which increasingly damages the boilers of the outdated thermoelectric plants.
In his remarks, the president acknowledged the social impact of the energy crisis and pointed out that in some provinces, there have been outages lasting more than 30 hours. He stated that this situation affects the supply of water, communications, medical services, transportation, education, and production.
But the one responsible for all this, as was to be expected, is the Government of the United States, with whom, by the way, the Cuban leader stated that conversations are being held, after denying them in recent weeks, both he and other officials and spokespeople of the regime. These, he asserted, aim to explore possible solutions to bilateral differences.
Visibly emaciated, the leader emphasized that these contacts have been carried out by the former ruler and historical leader of the country, Raúl Castro, and by himself; and in consultation with the main structures of the Communist Party, the State, and the Government.
Focused by the cameras several times, in the audience was Colonel Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro (El Cangrejo), grandson of Raúl Castro and head of his security detail, who has been identified in various news reports as a figure linked to the Cuba-United States contacts; it is unclear whether he serves as a real interlocutor or as a messenger for his grandfather and the Cuban military leadership.
What was the grandson of the Army General doing at that meeting if he is not part of the state and government structures represented there, nor is he from the official press, and he is not even a member of the Cuban Parliament? This is the question many have been asking on social media. Is a family dynasty being given visibility on the island? Could Washington also be blamed for this?
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