The official journalist Bernardo Espinosa "celebrated" this Friday that Havana did not experience power outages due to a generation deficit, while confirming that electrical disruptions continued in other areas of Cuba.
"Confirmed," Espinosa wrote on his Facebook account, where he highlighted that the capital recorded "0 impacts due to generation capacity deficit" and assured that "the city" was free from blackouts due to insufficient generation.
The message, however, does not indicate a normalization of the electricity service across the country. The journalist himself acknowledged that there are circuits that remain without power due to maintenance and breakdowns, while in the rest of Cuba, the outages barely decrease during the midday peak.
Espinosa attributed the improvement in availability to the introduction of thermal machines and photovoltaic investments, an explanation presented as a sign of recovery in generation capacity.
The publication also refers to the evening broadcast of the official news program to learn the details regarding the situation of the National Electric System (SEN).
The contrast is evident in the very official message itself. While the absence of blackouts due to a generation deficit in Havana is presented as news to celebrate, the issues continue in the rest of the country, and there are still circuits without electricity for other reasons acknowledged by the journalist himself.
Nonetheless, the official data contradicts the celebratory tone, as this Friday the SEN is operating with a mere availability of 1,300 MW against a forecasted demand of 3,300 MW, resulting in a projected deficit of 1,970 MW. The Electric Company of Havana itself reported at noon 13 circuits and 35 MW affected in the capital.
The "improvement" in Havana is even more striking when contrasted with the days immediately prior. On Thursday, Havana recorded 552 MW affected across 154 circuits; on Wednesday, 484 MW across 124 circuits; and on September 2, it peaked at 604 MW affected in 176 circuits, according to the blackout map of Havana.
While the capital enjoys this preferential treatment, the situation in the eastern provinces is radically different. In Holguín, several circuits experience between 19 and 21 consecutive hours without service. In Manatí, Las Tunas, resident Lili Romero highlighted in a viral video that her community receives only one hour and 45 minutes of electricity a day.
However, on Wednesday, the National Zoo announced its indefinite closure due to a lack of electricity and water, with no clear protocol for its more than 1,500 animals, marking another symbol of the extent of the crisis.
The comedian Ulises Toirac summarized the citizens' skepticism towards any official announcement: "They can install seven new thermoelectric plants next week, have the oil flowing through pipelines... In 15 years, the blackouts will still be happening." This reflection highlights the impact of the structural contradictions of an economic model that no one-time investment can resolve.
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