Prolonged blackouts continue to mark the daily lives of millions of Cubans. High temperatures, difficulties cooking, preserving food, pumping water, or resting during long hours without electricity keep the population under strain throughout the country.
The situation of the National Electric System is currently experiencing one of its most critical moments—although it began in 2019—as admitted by the Minister of Energy and Mines (Minem), Vicente de la O Levy, in a press conference.
The head of Minem explained the causes of the worsening problems and the limitations Cuba faces in maintaining power generation.
FUEL SHORTAGES AND THE BLOCKADE
The Minister was direct: the main cause of the current crisis is the fuel shortage, linked to the tightening of the economic and energy blockade against Cuba.
He recalled that, since December, the country went practically four months without receiving fuel. "Not a single fuel ship entered Cuba until the arrival of the donation from the Russian Federation, with some 100,000 tons of crude oil," he explained.
That shipment allowed for some partial relief for several weeks. The crude oil was processed at the Cienfuegos refinery to obtain derivatives for electricity generation.
Once the process began, the shortages started to lessen.
However, the relief was temporary: the 100,000 tons only covered part of April and a few days of May. As of today, that fuel has run out, and the country is once again facing an extremely complex scenario, aggravated by rising temperatures and the increased electricity consumption associated with the start of summer.
"Today we have higher temperatures—and therefore higher consumption—and the National Interconnected System (SEN) is only operating with thermoelectric plants, Energás, and photovoltaic solar parks," he noted.
DETERIORATION OF THE SYSTEM'S BASELINE GENERATION
In addition to the fuel shortage, there is the accumulated deterioration of thermoelectric plants, which are operating with significant technological wear and tear and a scarcity of spare parts.
The Minister of Energy and Mines (Minem) insisted that they are not only experiencing boiler failures, but also problems with essential auxiliary systems. "A thermoelectric plant can now fail for any reason," he affirmed.
The recent shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant caused one of the most difficult weeks for the system. Shortly afterward, it was necessary to take the Felton unit in Holguín offline; although it was reported as maintenance, the Minister clarified that these were urgent repairs to prevent further damage.
Felton had leaks in its boiler and problems with a regenerative air converter. "If it continued operating like that, the entire unit would be damaged," he explained.
Each maintenance operation results in more hours of power outage. The system operates virtually without backups: any breakdown or unexpected outage immediately impacts service.
"If we don’t maintain it, we’ll drive that unit to total failure and lose it completely," he stated.
SOLAR ENERGY: POTENTIAL AND LIMITATIONS
Currently, a significant portion of the electricity is generated from photovoltaic solar parks. Cuba already has over 1,300 megawatts (MW) of installed solar power, but the weakness of the rest of the grid forces them to limit its input to avoid dangerous fluctuations.
However, De la O Levy explained that they are already in the final phase of a project to install large battery systems to stabilize the grid and make better use of solar energy. He assured that technical assistance is already being provided to launch the first of these systems.
He explained that, at times, solar generation exceeded 900 megawatts; today the average is around 580, "very limited," due to the weakness of the electrical system.
THE DISTRIBUTION OF BLACKOUTS
The system was not designed to operate under permanent blackouts, he stated. Based on generation availability, planning is done, and the levels of impact are distributed across all territories. However, he warned, no two provinces are alike.
Throughout the country, there are protected circuits that cannot be easily disconnected because they supply power to hospitals, water pumping systems, strategic economic centers, or vital facilities.
More than 600 circuits receive daily protection and consume more than 800 MW of available generation. There are also DAF circuits, which stabilize the frequency in the face of dangerous fluctuations.
Each province has different levels of demand, a varying number of protected circuits, and specific technical configurations, which is why some achieve faster rotations than others.
He cited as an example certain provincial hospitals with several independent power lines, which allows for circuit rotation without affecting their operation; other facilities do not have this infrastructure. "To achieve this, investments would have to be made," he explained, but the essential problem remains the insufficient available power generation.
DAILY PLANNING AND UNFORESEEN FAILURES
Blackout planning begins at midnight at the National Load Dispatch Center, with the goal of providing the public with an estimate starting in the early morning hours.
However, reality is constantly changing: an unexpected breakdown or any unforeseen event disrupts the entire schedule. "Thermal power plants are failing for any reason," acknowledged the Minister, mentioning even seemingly minor problems such as failures in water supply systems.
Under these conditions, every megawatt lost has a huge impact.
THE SOCIAL COST
The social cost of the crisis is evident: it affects domestic life, the economy, transportation, communications, and services, generating unease, fatigue, and worry.
The Minister acknowledged that the authorities are closely monitoring public opinion and complaints about inequalities or problems with fuel distribution.
He repeatedly emphasized that the country continues to receive insufficient fuel supplies. "We have absolutely no fuel oil and absolutely no diesel."
Currently, power generation depends primarily on domestically produced natural gas and domestic crude oil, the production of which has increased.
In parallel, Cuba is advancing its energy transition strategy to diversify sources and reduce dependence on imported fuels, but these transformations require time, financing, and technological stability.
Meanwhile, the population faces difficult times. Daily routines change depending on whether or not electricity is available; in many homes, the early morning hours become the only possible time to cook or do laundry.
