The Cuban regime announced this Wednesday a special appearance by the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente De La O Levy, for 6:30 PM, amid the worst electrical crisis of the year on the island.
The Electric Union (UNE), the Ministry of Energy and Mines, and the program Mesa Redonda confirmed that the broadcast will take place on Cubavisión, Cubavisión Internacional, Canal Caribe, Radio Habana Cuba, and the social media platforms of Cubadebate and Mesa Redonda.
The stated reason is the "complex electro-energy situation" that Cuba is facing, which marks the worst time of the year for the National Electro-Energy System (SEN).
This Wednesday, Díaz-Canel publicly acknowledged that the crisis is "particularly tense", with a projected deficit of over 2,000 MW for the nighttime peak.
On Tuesday, the actual maximum impact reached 2,113 MW at 8:40 PM —the year's record— with a availability of only 1,230 MW against a demand of 3,250 MW.
Díaz-Canel also admitted that in April, only one fuel ship arrived out of the eight that Cuba requires monthly at a minimum, and that due to a lack of fuel, the country ceased to generate 1,100 MW this Wednesday.
The appearance of the minister occurs in a context of heightened social tension. Likewise, this Wednesday, residents of San Miguel del Padrón held a pot-banging protest in front of the municipal government headquarters demanding "Electricity and food!".
On Tuesday night, a casserole protest erupted in Reparto Bahía with chants of "Down with the dictatorship!", and in the early hours of Wednesday, residents of Marianao took to the streets with bonfires.
The Cuban Observatory of Conflicts recorded 1,133 protests in April 2026, a 29.5% increase compared to April 2025, while the regime has responded with militarization and at least 14 arrests in Havana since March 6.
The energy crisis has its roots in the collapse of external fuel supplies: Venezuela interrupted its shipments in November 2025, Russian oil ran out by the end of April 2026, and Mexico practically suspended its shipments since January 2026.
This is compounded by international pressure. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced new sanctions against GAESA and 12 regime officials on May 7, with a deadline of June 5 for foreign companies to sever ties with the Cuban military conglomerate.
This is De La O Levy's second appearance on Mesa Redonda in less than a month: on April 23, he had already announced four energy storage batteries of 50 MW each, with the situation still unchanged.
Cuba has experienced seven total collapses of the National Electric System in 18 months, the most severe of which occurred on March 16, 2026, with a blackout lasting 29 hours and 29 minutes, while the projected deficit for this Wednesday exceeds 2,020 MW.
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