Related videos:
Less than a week after Cuba experienced its third total power grid failure in 2026, Miguel Díaz-Canel toured industrial facilities in Havana on Wednesday to showcase, according to the official Granma, what he described as "innovative energy and construction solutions."
Moreover, the leader was not taken out for a stroll alone; he was accompanied by the Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz and the Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, General Álvaro López Miera, along with several members of the Council of Ministers, underscoring the significance of the visit.
The day included a tour of a solar panel assembly line where, according to the authorities, more than 3,200 units have been manufactured so far this year.
But the good news doesn't end with that ghost figure; the state media also reported that, with the arrival of new investors and equipment, the factory could operate in double shifts and reach a production of 120 panels daily.
The official note itself reveals, perhaps unintentionally, the magnitude of the failure: the factory visited by Díaz-Canel had to install solar panels on its own roof to, according to Granma, "become independent from the National Electric System and not halt production."
The cynicism of the moment is hard to ignore: the massive blackout on July 6 left approximately 9.6 million people without electricity, following the unexpected shutdown of Unit No. 6 at the Nuevitas thermoelectric plant in Camagüey, which triggered a cascading disconnection.
That day, the projected deficit for peak hours was 2,165 MW, with an availability of only 935 MW against a demand of 3,100 MW.
For this Thursday, the Electric Union forecasted an impact of 2,260 MW during peak hours, according to a report by Cubadebate on the same day it published the triumphalist visit of Díaz-Canel.
In some areas of Matanzas, power outages lasted up to 87 consecutive hours; in Havana, the average was around 15 hours daily without electricity.
This is not the first time that Díaz-Canel has turned to this kind of propaganda showcase amid the energy crisis.
In May, he visited the VEDCA electric vehicle plant and described it as a "gem" while the country was breaking its historical record for electrical deficit with 2,174 MW.
Filed under: