Cuba's leader, Miguel Díaz-Canel, made an appearance at the National Load Dispatch of the Cuban Electric Union (UNE) to oversee efforts to restore the National Electric System (SEN) following a second massive blackout this weekend. The Cuban presidency announced his visit through a message on X, highlighting that the Communist Party's first secretary was monitoring the restoration work across the eastern, central, and western regions of the island.
The presidency's account detailed that efforts were being prioritized to stabilize and gradually increase electric coverage. They also shared a video of Díaz-Canel, appointed by Raúl Castro, at the site alongside the aging commander Ramiro Valdés. On his personal account, Díaz-Canel commented that relentless efforts were underway to revive the power system.
"The expertise and composure of those facing these challenging times, many of whom are young, are truly admirable," he remarked. Earlier this year, Díaz-Canel and his cabinet devised a plan to reduce summer blackouts and slowly restore the SEN's generation capacity.
Persistent Power Struggles
After the first widespread outage, triggered by the Guiteras thermoelectric plant going offline this past Friday, Díaz-Canel expressed concern over the dire situation. "We are giving this energy crisis our utmost priority," he stated, promising no rest until the issue is resolved.
Despite ongoing efforts through the early hours of Saturday, the SEN remained down. Efforts to establish "microsystems" using distributed energy (generator groups) were underway, aiming to power thermal plants for a restart. "Strengthening these microsystems will eventually allow us to interconnect systems for a national link," explained Lázaro Guerra Hernández, director of Electricity at the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM).
Public Outcry and Accountability
However, on Saturday morning, the SEN collapsed once more, nullifying any minor advancements and prompting Díaz-Canel to head to the National Load Dispatch to "lead" recovery efforts. The internet disruptions caused by the SEN's failure have fueled social media backlash, with users criticizing Díaz-Canel's role in the unprecedented crisis.
One user, identified as Taoro on X, pointed out, "Do you know why there are mostly young people and hardly any experienced personnel at the National Load Dispatch? Because many experienced professionals have left the country in the last two years. Ask around, and you'll see it's true."