Vicente De La O Levy, Cuba's Minister of Energy and Mines, has addressed concerns about a potential collapse of the national electrical system, assuring that while a widespread blackout is unlikely, he did confirm that "the electrical grid is fragile." "Conditions are not in place for a total collapse of the system; however, the grid is weak, particularly due to a significant generation deficit, especially in terms of fuel, but we're not at zero," he stated on the social media platform X.
De La O Levy noted that while floating power plants have fuel, there is a "complicated logistical situation that we are working to resolve." His remarks were further explained by pro-government journalist Lázaro Manuel Alonso, who mentioned that "the conditions differ from those that led to the previous system failure weeks ago." Nevertheless, the Felton thermoelectric plant, along with units in Santa Cruz and Renté, remain offline, and there is an ongoing malfunction at the CTE Carlos Manuel de Céspedes in Cienfuegos.
Regarding fuel availability, De La O Levy stated that there are reserves in the country, but their arrival has been hampered by "sea conditions" that have "prevented the docking of the ships transporting it." He expressed optimism that the situation should improve by the weekend, forecasting "power cuts of around 500 to 600 MW, with 100 MW affecting Havana and the remainder spread across other provinces."
For several days, social media users have voiced their frustration and despair over the situation, warning of the severe repercussions of a prolonged outage, particularly in the central-eastern region, which has been hardest hit by power cuts. Additionally, there is ongoing criticism of the fuel supply management and the disparities in energy distribution, with complaints that Havana has experienced fewer disruptions compared to other regions.
On Thursday, the power generation deficit neared 1,600 MW, with an estimated peak hour availability of 1,630 MW against a maximum demand of 3,150 MW, resulting in a deficit of 1,520 MW. If conditions persist as predicted, a shortfall of 1,590 MW is anticipated, with the central-eastern zone most affected, according to a statement from the national Electric Union.