The Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, appeared this Wednesday on the Round Table to provide an overview of the National Electroenergy System (SEN) and announce progress in oil and gas production, amidst an energy crisis that has left 62% of the national territory without electricity simultaneously since the beginning of 2026.
In his remarks, the minister reviewed the results of the oil recovery program approved by the Council of Ministers in 2025, which included the drilling of new oil wells, the refurbishment of thermal power units, and the growth of renewable energies.
De la O Levy highlighted that the drilling of new wells significantly increased the production of associated gas for electricity generation, which he described as one of the most significant leaps of the year.
The state company CUPET reported a production of 2.2 million tons of crude oil in 2025, about eighty thousand tons above the plan, reversing 13 years of decline since 2012, and achieved 1.130 billion cubic meters of natural gas, the highest volume in nine years, driven by four new wells in Puerto Escondido and Canasí, in the Mayabeque province.
Regarding distributed generation, the minister reported that at the beginning of the program, there were only 350 megawatts available, despite the country having nearly three thousand megawatts installed between diesel engines and fuel oil. The main cause of this low availability was the lack of spare parts and the financial limitations to acquire them.
By the end of 2025, that capacity exceeded one thousand megawatts available, which was crucial during the impact of the cyclone that affected eastern Cuba, when provinces such as Granma, Guantánamo, and Holguín remained disconnected from the SEN but were able to sustain vital services thanks to the support of distributed generation.
In terms of renewable energy sources, Cuba started 2025 with a share close to 3% of the national electric matrix and ended the year with around 10%, an increase of seven percentage points in just twelve months, which the minister described as a significant leap for any electricity system.
De la O Levy also acknowledged that between the end of December 2025 and January 2026, 631 electrical circuits were protected across the national territory, requiring more than 800 megawatts, in order to prioritize productive sectors related to food, foreign currency generation, and exports, at the expense of residential consumption.
The context in which these promises are made is one of severe crisis.
On April 1, the highest deficit of the year was recorded: 1,945 megawatts, with a supply of only 1,202 megawatts compared to a demand of 3,050 megawatts.
Since January, Cuba has lost between 25,000 and 35,000 barrels of Venezuelan oil daily following the capture of Nicolás Maduro, and Mexico suspended its supplies on January 9 due to secondary sanctions from the United States.
A partial relief arrived on March 31 with 100,000 tons of donated Russian crude, processed at the Camilo Cienfuegos refinery, which covers only a third of the monthly demand. A second Russian tanker was scheduled to arrive on April 29.
However, the regime has been repeating promises of energy recovery for years that have not resulted in sustained improvement for the population, which continues to experience power outages of up to 24 hours in provinces across the country.
"We ended the year in better conditions than we started," affirmed the minister, in a statement that contrasts with the daily reality of millions of Cubans.
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