Alfredo López Valdés was removed from the general direction of the Union Electrica de Cuba (UNE) and appointed as the director of energy at the Ministry of Economy and Planning, as the official himself confirmed in a Cuban television interview broadcast on the Mesa Redonda.
The change generated speculation in media and journalistic circles before López Valdés publicly confirmed it.
It was López Valdés himself who cleared up the doubts: "I have just been appointed director of energy at the Ministry of Economy; I start on Monday. Monday is the new task. I will remain in the field of electricity; if energy includes not only electricity, it also includes fuel."
In his new role, the official will be responsible for the planning and oversight of the overall energy activity plan.
"The functions of the Ministry of Economy are planning, the plan, and the control of the plan. In this case, it would be related to energy activity in general," he explained.
López Valdés described his role as ensuring that the development policy for the electricity industry is implemented across all sectors of the economy: "Being the director of energy at the Ministry of Economy and Planning also means ensuring that the policy or strategy for the development of the electricity industry is applied in all branches of the economy."
The official acknowledged the seriousness of the situation: "We must understand the very difficult moment we are experiencing with energy," and added that planning should ensure that "the little we have is placed in the best possible locations, the ones that yield the most."
López Valdés had taken over the leadership of the UNE in October 2022, following the dismissal of the previous director Jorge Armando Cepero Hernández, also amidst the energy crisis.
His successor at the helm of the UNE is Rubén Campos Olmo, who was in charge of the Antonio Guiteras Thermal Power Plant in Matanzas.
The appointment of Campos Olmo was announced on March 21 during the celebration of the institution's 38th anniversary.
The transfer occurs at one of the worst times for the Cuban electrical system. On Friday, blackouts exceeded a maximum impact of 1,333 MW, and on Saturday, an Automatic Frequency Shutdown occurred in Havana, the sixth recorded so far in 2026.
During his tenure at the UNE, López Valdés oversaw the installation of over 50 photovoltaic parks and 1,000 MW of solar capacity in just one year, although the deterioration of the thermoelectric system continued to worsen.
In January-March 2026, Cuba experienced at least three total collapses of the national electrical system, including one lasting 29 hours on March 16.
When asked what he feels when the power goes out in his own home, López Valdés replied straightforwardly: "No, the power is not what I haven't done enough to increase. It's what I start to think about again."
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