65% of Cuba's territory will be without power this Saturday due to the energy crisis

Havana.- Cuba will have another day of prolonged blackouts throughout the island this Saturday, and the state-owned Electric Union (UNE) estimates that, at the time of greatest demand (late afternoon-night), the largest supply cut will simultaneously shut down 65% of the country. The Caribbean country has been experiencing a serious energy crisis since mid-2024, which is explained by the combination of a circumstantial element, the oil blockade initiated last January by the U.S., and a structural factor, a deeply obsolete energy system. In this context, the UNE reported the previous day that the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, Cuba's largest power plant, was disconnected from the National Electro-Energy System (SEN) again due to a leak in the boiler. This is the fourth breakdown of that thermoelectric plant in the month of May and the seventh so far this year. The UNE, dependent on the Ministry of Energy and Mines (Minem), thus foresees for the time of greatest demand a generation capacity of 1,158 megawatts (MW) and a maximum demand of 3,200 MW. This way, the deficit -the difference between supply and demand- will be 2,042 MW and the estimated impact -what will actually be disconnected to avoid disorderly blackouts- will reach 2,072 MW. With the disconnection on the eve of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, according to UNE data, seven generation units are not operational due to breakdowns or maintenance work out of the 16 that the Caribbean country has.

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Most of the country's thermoelectric generation units suffer frequent breakdowns due to the obsolescence of these plants with decades of operation and without the necessary investments. This source is responsible for 40% of the energy mix, it is fed by national crude and is not affected by the oil blockade. Another 40% of the mix was handled by generation engines, but this energy source requires imported diesel and fuel oil. Pressure from the US forced them to stop due to lack of raw materials since January. The remaining 20% of the Cuban energy mix comes from gas and renewable sources, especially with the recent boost to solar energy with Chinese support. The Cuban government has acknowledged that the situation of the SEN is "acute", "critical" and "extremely tense", with daily blackouts exceeding 22 consecutive hours throughout the country. The Havana Executive blames the oil siege by the U.S. for this situation to a greater extent, a decision it calls "genocidal" and for which it accuses the Washington Administration of "suffocating" the island. Cuba needs about 100,000 barrels of oil daily to meet its energy needs, of which only 40,000 come from its national production. Various independent studies estimate that between 8,000 and 10,000 million dollars would be needed to revive the Cuban energy system.