The First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) in Holguín, Joel Queipo Ruíz, and the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, conducted an inspection tour on Friday at the Battery Energy Storage Station (BESS) of Cueto in Holguín, to check and assess "the completion status" of the 50 megawatts (MW) facility, according to the state-run Radio Angulo.
Queipo Ruíz shared the outing on Facebook with the phrase "With #HonorHolguinero We Will Overcome," describing the project as "the second of its kind in Cuba" and promising that it "will give more strength to the National Electric System (SEN) in this eastern region." What was not clarified was exactly when this would take place, a detail that Cubans, used to living in darkness, did not overlook.
The response from internet users was immediate and overwhelming. "I've been listening to that song for a while now, so when can we expect results?" wrote one. Another was more technical and harsh at the same time: "50 MW for a deficit of over 2,000 MW: it’s true they’re a meme." A third demanded clarity without embellishments: "No fluff: we assess the completion status [...]. The project is at ...% completion [...]. Because there are 4, and they still haven't finished the 2nd."
The mockery towards the minister did not take long to surface. "Minister of Mines, because there's no energy," declared one commentator. Another added, "Well, he may be Minister of Mines, but Energy... that position no longer exists." And someone, with the terse economy of words typical of frustration, asked: "When will he start serving? Quickly, because the U-4 in Cienfuegos —the frequency regulator— is out of service, and with the weakness of the SEN, any fluctuation in frequency will cause it to go down."
The official plan includes four battery energy storage systems (BESS) of 50 MW each —in Cotorro and Habana 220, both in Havana; Cueto, Holguín; and Bayamo, Granma— for a total capacity of 200 MW, featuring technology and technical assistance from China and equipment supplied by Shanghai Electric.
The first one, installed at the Cotorro substation, began operation in early July 2026, after several months of testing. By the end of August, the Cueto system was preparing to start load testing; Habana 220 was still under construction and assembly, with its official commissioning scheduled for the last week of October; while the one in Bayamo also remained under development, without a specific date announced for its operation.
In conclusion, as internet users pointed out, out of the four, only one is actually operational, aside from the official propaganda.
The context in which the official tour takes place is, at the very least, uncomfortable. That same Friday, the Electric Union predicted a maximum impact of 2,220 MW, which is equivalent to leaving up to 68% of the island without electricity at peak demand. The previous month, there had been a record impact of 2,411 MW, and the SEN has experienced seven total collapses so far in 2026.
In Holguín, the situation is particularly severe: in June, the provincial Electric Company acknowledged that residential circuits received only 3 hours of electricity for every 39 or 40 hours of blackout, with only 70 MW available against a demand of 240 MW. The minister De la O Levy admitted before the National Assembly that there are Cuban communities that have gone for as long as 105 consecutive days without electricity.
While officials were strolling among the containers of Shanghai Electric, on Friday night dozens of people protested in Fontanar, in the Boyeros municipality of Havana, with around ten police patrols deployed to contain the outrage.
The Cuban Observatory of Conflicts recorded 1,415 protests, denunciations, and expressions of dissent in July 2026, the highest monthly figure since the organization began its records.
The total of 200 MW that the four BESS systems will contribute when — and if — they all come online represents just a fraction of the structural deficit that exceeds 2,000 MW. As a user accurately pointed out: "It’s true that they are a meme."
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