Sargassum has returned to the Cuban coasts "with the winds of Lent," and the Electric Union warns that it is a problem for energy generation, which could also impact the increase in power outages.
The national television avoided mentioning the word "blackouts" in its report. They focused on outlining possible solutions to an old problem, which they claim is recent and a result of climate change.
According to Canal Caribe, specialists from GEOCUBA and the Empresa Mixta Energás S.A. are working on the design of new protective barriers in the seawater channel of the Boca de Jaruco plant in Mayabeque.
The objective of this scientific research, which has not yielded concrete results so far, is to prevent sargassum from disconnecting the installation from the National Electric System again.
The announcement comes after the seaweed has already caused the Energás plant to go offline several times, making the issue a recurring one and highlighting that previous measures were insufficient.
The executives of Energás assert that the sargassum season of 2026 began early.
"In the first two weeks of April, we experienced a significant influx of sargassum. It's uncommon; it came with the strong Lent winds. When a lot of sargassum enters the channel, the filtration systems get clogged, and the circulation cooling pumps that discharge water into the plant's condenser have to be turned on," said an executive.
For the time being, they assure that they have it under control with the support of divers, specialized equipment, and the plant's own workers.
The reaction of Cubans on social media to the new official report was one of open skepticism. "Imperialist sargassum," commented a user on Facebook with irony. Another was more direct: "You are failures in everything you do."
Sargassum, as a "surprise factor," causes more expenses for the company and adds complexities to the energy generation process. It’s not something new, but the government has yet to find a preventive solution to the entry of the algae into the plant's channels.
On October 7, 2025, Unit 6 of Energás Jaruco was taken offline due to the presence of algae in the inlet channel of the circulation pump, and just eight days later, units 3, 4, and 6 were simultaneously taken out of the system at 3:19 PM.
Sarcasm has its basis. Sargassum emerges as one of the culprits behind power outages in Cuba in a long list of excuses that the regime has used to deflect responsibility for a structurally rooted energy collapse.
The Cuban electricity crisis has causes that run much deeper than the seaweed. Cuba requires eight oil ships per month, but between December 2025 and April 2026, it received only one.
The loss of Venezuelan supply after the capture of Nicolás Maduro in January 2026 and the depletion of the Russian tanker Kolodkin's cargo in late April further deepened the collapse.
The generation deficit reached a historical high of 1,945 MW on April 1, 2026, and last Monday the projected deficit for peak hours was 1,650 MW, with only 1,600 MW available against a demand of 3,250 MW.
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