Vicente de la O Levy, the new face of the Cuban regime and the Minister of Energy and Mines, continues his relentless efforts to stave off the complete collapse of the national electric power system (SEN) before the country transitions to an energy matrix heavily reliant on renewable sources. Just this May, he visited the Lidio Ramón Pérez Thermoelectric Plant in Felton, Holguín, to oversee maintenance operations and discovered "22,000 tubes that need cleaning" in its condenser. This Sunday, he was at the Third International Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Fair in Havana, repeating government strategies for installing solar panels.
De la O Levy’s statements, much like those from Miguel Díaz-Canel's "continuity" government, are a testament to ignorance and indecency. In a regime where the State Security orchestrates a show of accountability, ministers like De la O Levy can afford to be brazenly unaccountable, laughing at the public.
The Cuban regime, the true power behind the scenes, requires and thrives on ministers like De la O Levy. Their project of perpetual domination over the Cuban people demands officials who can declare, without a hint of doubt, that maintaining thermoelectric plants is more complex than NASA launches due to the 22,000 dirty tubes that need cleaning—a Herculean task.
However, this Sunday, the minister who promised a single minute of energy generated without imported fuels by 2025, looked a supportive journalist (Bernardo Espinoza, who else?) in the eye and made a new, equally hollow promise: by 2030, the country will produce 30% of its energy from renewable sources.
Financial Sacrifices and Logistical Challenges
To achieve this, the government is making significant "financial sacrifices", not just to pay for oil from its suppliers but also to purchase parts, raw materials, and other inputs to keep its outdated thermoelectric plants operational. Among these sacrifices, De la O Levy highlights efforts to begin the nation's energy transition.
Producing 30% of energy from renewable sources is no easy feat; it requires a massive workforce and an intricate logistical operation. "There are millions of photovoltaic solar panels; hundreds of millions of screws, bolts, washers, steel structures, piles to drive... thousands and thousands of piles to drive...," De la O Levy explained to Espinoza.
Propaganda and Repression Over Solutions
From 22,000 tubes to hundreds of millions of screws, Cubans will continue to wait for the day when blackouts become a thing of the past. The regime knows that such explanations, much like the megawatts of "disruptions," are indisputable for a brainwashed and coerced populace. Thus, it will persist in its propaganda and repression.
Solving the collapse of the SEN is not the regime's priority; brainwashing and imprisonment are. Cubans will endure daily blackouts, while the news will report "progress" in driving piles, tightening screws and bolts, and cleaning thousands more tubes.
Come 2025, there might be a single minute of energy produced from renewable sources, and the mission will be to "fatten it up" until it reaches 157,680 minutes (30% renewable energy) by 2030. Until then, Minister Vicente de la O Levy will not rest, overseeing containers filled with millions of screws and bolts, and lending a hand in cleaning tens of thousands of tubes.