The Cuban regime announced the modernization of the "Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara" Nickel Company, in Moa, Holguín, through the installation of a new sedimentation unit from China, while millions of Cubans continue to lack stable electricity and the country's thermoelectric plants remain in a state of collapse.
Cubadebate presented investment as the key to optimizing the processing of the mineral and supporting the national economy, but the publication triggered a wave of criticism on social media where hundreds of citizens questioned the government's priorities.
The contradiction is hard to ignore: on the same day of the announcement, April 9, Cuba recorded a electric generation deficit of 1,745 MW, with a mere availability of 1,375 MW against a demand of 3,120 MW.
The units of the Felton Thermal Power Plant, the Antonio Guiteras Thermal Power Plant, and the units from Mariel, Renté, and Nuevitas, among others, were out of service that day.
Two days earlier, on April 7, a failure in the turbine of the Ernesto Guevara thermoelectric plant —which shares the same name as the nickel company that is currently being modernized— took another unit offline.
On March 16, there was a total blackout that left all 11 million residents of the island without electricity, and on March 25 the nighttime peak deficit reached nearly 1,900 MW, with blackouts lasting up to 24 hours in Havana and other provinces.
Holguín, precisely the province where the nickel plant receiving Chinese investment is located, is one of the most affected by power outages, according to testimonies from its own residents.
"Why don't they modernize the thermoelectric plants so that people have electricity, water, and a better quality of life? This news is frustrating," wrote Samira Martínez in the comments on the official post.
"For that, there is indeed, but for the thermoelectric plants, there isn't," summarized Ismael Fuentes Alvares, while Fredy Rojas was more direct: "What needs to be modernized are the thermoelectric plants, which are in terrible shape."
Other users pointed directly to the economic motive behind the regime's decision.
"To make a lot of money, that's what interests them to modernize," wrote Yosdan Charchabal, and Amanda Galletano summarized it this way: "Thank you, China and PCC, we continue without electricity and nickel isn't edible."
The logic behind the regime's priority is clear: China is the main buyer of Cuban nickel, with exports exceeding 128 million dollars in 2023, and the mining industry generates direct revenue for the State, noted IPS.
In 2014, the Cubaniquel Business Group signed supply contracts with the Chinese company MINMETALS, and the national plan up to 2030 aims to double production to 100,000 tons.
However, in 2024, Cuba did not meet its production, export, or state contribution targets in the nickel sector.
Carlos Manuel Hech expressed it urgently in his comment: "A lot of people are on the verge of collapse due to the electricity issue in Cuba. One, just one thinking head, please."
The question that was most frequently asked among Cubans was from Isonys Pérez: "And how will the benefit be used for social good?"
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