While electrical circuits in several Cuban provinces were experiencing over 70 consecutive hours without service, the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, published a message on X this Sunday —which was also shared on the MINEM Facebook profile— about tours and "transformations" that sparked an avalanche of outrage, sarcasm, and despair on social media.
The official announced, with the optimism characteristic of the Cuban establishment, that "we are resuming the tours to discuss the transformations, now in the western provinces," and asserted that "our people are ready to carry out this process and promote initiatives among all economic actors, which will translate into benefits for the population."
The phrase "encourage initiatives" was enough to ignite the Cubans' response. "Encourage initiatives!? They keep coming up with more curious phrases," replied an internet user with an irony that captured the general sentiment. Another was more direct: "So many meetings to resolve nothing, and more blackouts every day...". A third summed it up in two words: "Enough!"
The contrast between the official narrative and the reality experienced by Cubans could not be more striking. For this November 15th, the Electric Union forecasted, during peak hours, only 970 MW available against a demand of 2,800 MW, resulting in a deficit of 1,830 MW.
According to reports from internet users, in Pinar del Río, several circuits had been without electricity for more than three days; and another five had exceeded 48 hours of outage. In Matanzas, residents reported towns experiencing over 60 hours without power. Meanwhile, in Caibarién, Villa Clara, an internet user shouted in capital letters: "MORE THAN 70 HOURS WITHOUT ELECTRICITY [...] DESTROYING ALL THE REFRIGERATORS."
In Holguín, the situation also sparked accusations of favoritism: entire municipalities were experiencing over 30 hours without electricity while the main city rotated power every few hours. In San Miguel del Padrón, Havana, residents of circuit S512 reported having only two or three hours of power daily for months. And from Cienfuegos, a Cuban summed up the total collapse: "This province is out of control, you can't even buy food anymore."
The images accompanying the ministry's publication—officials seated at presidiums under Cuban flags, in halls adorned with murals of Fidel Castro—only fueled the anger further. "Those who meet the most and give the most provide a poor service," stated an internet user. Another was blunt: "Demagoguery and cynicism. Cynicism and demagoguery."
The energy crisis that serves as the backdrop for this episode has been breaking records for months. Cuba has experienced at least eight general collapses of the National Electric System so far in 2026.
De la O Levy admitted before the National Assembly on July 29 that some communities had gone up to 105 consecutive days without electrical service, that there was no generation reserve, and that the solution was "a long road."
In that same session, he stated: “There is no inequality, there are mistakes”. Four months later, the same official is touring the western provinces to "discuss the transformations" while those areas have been in the dark for days.
Solutions continue to be conspicuously absent.
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