New Setback in Cuba for Electric Power
Havana bids farewell to the ‘Suheyla Sultan,’ its most powerful Turkish power barge
Of the eight floating power plants Cuba once had, only one remains in Regla, and it’s suffering from a lack of fuel.
HAVANA TIMES – The Turkish floating power plant Suheyla Sultan permanently departed from the Port of Havana on Wednesday morning. Authorities had confirmed on Saturday that the barge would be disconnected “for commercial reasons,” and although no exact date was provided, the disconnection was expected to take immediate effect.
Nevertheless, the power plant remained active—though minimally—during the four days that followed. 14ymedio was able to observe the progressive shutdown of its smokestacks: on Saturday, four of its twelve stacks were still emitting smoke, but by Monday morning, that number had dropped to two. Hours later, the skies over Havana’s port were clearer than they had been in a long time.
The Suheyla Sultan was the largest of the Turkish floating power plants in Havana, with a capacity of up to 240 megawatts (MW). At one point, there were simultaneously eight barges from the Turkish company Karpowership operating in Cuba, but now only one remains, located in Regla. According to the state Electric Company’s (UNE) data this Wednesday, 37 MW from that unit are currently offline due to a lack of fuel.
Last Saturday, when Lazaro Guerra, technical director of UNE, announced the barge’s disconnection, he stated that actions were being taken “to ensure that this situation does not worsen the current service disruptions.” The projected deficit for today remains very high, consistent with recent days. During peak hours, 1,962 MW will be available for a maximum demand of 3,750 MW, representing a shortfall of 1,788 MW and impacting 1,858 MW worth of demand. This translates into power outages nationwide, although far greater outside the capital, often up to 20 hours a day.
Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy had already warned Parliament in December 2024 that the barges would eventually leave “due to the inability to meet payment commitments.”
At that time, the official emphasized the need to use the country’s own means, resources, and capacities: “We mainly have fuel for the thermoelectric plants, crude oil from our own wells, gas, and renewable energy sources—which include not just solar photovoltaic, but also sugarcane biomass, wind energy, and energy efficiency,” he said, summing up a program that, he asserted, was not for summer 2025 but for the long term.
So far, those predictions have proven accurate. This summer, not only has the national electrical system failed to recover, but its further deterioration, which once seemed almost impossible, has continued. Since June, record-breaking power generation deficits have occurred, leading to blackouts lasting over 24 hours in many provinces.
The Turkish barges are leaving Cuba without the government ever disclosing how much it was paying for them, though the cost is believed to be very high. Ecuador, which also faces serious electricity problems, has contracted floating platforms from Karpowership. But unlike the Cuban government, the government in Quito has disclosed the cost of these ships.
In August 2024, Fabián Calero, general manager of Ecuador’s Electric Corporation (Celec), said that the Emre Bey, a twin of some of the barges used in Cuba, would stay in Ecuador for 18 months and supply 100 megawatts of power at a cost of US $114.39 million (about $0.11 per kWh), plus $45 million for fuel—bringing the total cost to around $0.14 per kWh.
Ecuadorian authorities noted that this price was far lower than the $300 million cost of importing electricity, something Cuba cannot do due to its island status.
The Dominican Republic also contracted two floating power plants (a total of 180 MW) for a 42-month period at a cost of $40 million—much less than what Ecuador has recently agreed to pay. In May, Guyana acquired one of the six barges previously stationed in Cuba, paying $1 million for its transfer by a Qatari intermediary company, Urbacon Concessions Holding. To this must be added the cost of electricity for the next two years at $0.70 per kWh, according to official announcements.
Each country can negotiate its own terms, so it is impossible to know exactly how much Cuba has paid—and it appears determined never to disclose it.
First published in Spanish by 14ymedio and translated and posted in English by Havana Times.
Moses, the hospitals in Havana run on natural gas generators, I have never heard of a shortage of that source of energy although I may be mistaken.
Moses Patterson, are you able to share a link to the podcast you saw about patients dying due to lack of electricity in hospitals?
Floating power plants are generally very expensive sources of electricity. They are never considered as a long-term solution to meet a country’s power needs. As a reference point, the average cost of electricity in the US is about $0.17 per kWh. However, this cost can vary widely depending upon location. These barges were originally designed for military and disaster relief purposes. If Cuba is only able to meet 53% of its daily demand today, how much worse will it get after a hurricane? Cuba generally has little risk of a terrorist attack, but given their current situation, I am sure that the thought has begun to cross their minds by now. At what percentage of power deficit does the Castro dictatorship throw in the towel? 30%? 20%? At that point, is the government still a government? As much as I want to see change in Cuba, the suffering of the Cuban people because of days long blackouts seems too high of a price to pay. I just heard on a podcast that hospital backup generators are running out of fuel and patients have already begun to die. This is pretty bad and it’s only getting worse.