Cuba: Blackouts Are From 25% Drop in Electricity Production
Not excessive consumption as president claims
In 2024, billed consumption was 13,985 GWh, a figure close to what was produced, making the energy collapse all the more inexplicable.
HAVANA TIMES – Cuba’s energy collapse over the last four years is summarized in the 16-page report published this Friday by the National Office of Statistics and Information (Onei). Among the “selected indicators” of the crisis, a standout is the 25% drop in national electricity generation during that period—a key factor behind the endless season of blackouts Cubans have endured for months.
In 2024, electricity generation in Cuba amounted to 14,334 gigawatt-hours (GWh), a drastic drop compared to the 19,070 GWh generated in 2020. Of the total annual output, the vast majority—13,921 GWh last year—came from public services, while a small portion, just 284 GWh, was produced by what Onei refers to as self-producers, meaning non-state companies and other “independent” generators.
On the other side is the billed consumption, which totaled 13,985 GWh in 2024—a figure close to what was produced, making the energy collapse all the more incomprehensible. However, Onei clarifies that total consumption—including that which is not billed by the Electric Company—reached 15,047 GWh.
As expected, billed consumption is concentrated around the country’s largest cities. A significant 3,742 GWh corresponds to Havana—a figure not even approached by Santiago de Cuba, which consumed only 836.9 GWh.
However, the provinces with the highest electricity usage are Holguín (1,188.4 GWh), Matanzas (1,131 GWh), and Villa Clara (1,016 GWh). The remaining provinces fall between 300 and 700 GWh, with Camagüey leading that group in consumption and the Isle of Youth at the bottom, with just 115 GWh.
Across the country, the private sector consumed the most electricity in 2024, totaling 9,414 GWh—of which 8,843 GWh was used by the residential sector. The state sector consumed 4,570 GWh, of which only 170 GWh was allocated to the deteriorated public lighting system. Given the paltry amount, even with stable electricity, the island’s streets would remain in darkness.
Onei reports that mobile generation—the floating power plants leased from the Turkish company Karpowership, one of which may soon leave the island if confirmed that the cargo ship OK has arrived in Havana to retrieve the Suheyla Sultan—produced 3,647 GWh in 2024, a 19% drop compared to the 4,493 GWh contributed the previous year.
The report devotes significant attention to distributed generation, which also saw a sharp decline since 2021—when more than 5,900 GWh were produced—down to just 2,095 GWh last year, between fuel-oil-powered and diesel-powered generators.
With daily blackouts of around 18 hours in most of the country, Cuba’s energy outlook remains grim. President Miguel Díaz-Canel dedicated a chapter of his podcast Desde la Presidencia (“From the Presidency”) on Thursday to discussing the situation but avoided making any promises of improvement—except for a “secret” plan with Venezuela to import more oil.
The president summarized the energy problem as the result of the island’s high demand and the limited fuel supply. However, Onei’s report published Friday disproves another of Díaz-Canel’s claims: that the blackouts are the result of excessive Cuban consumption.
With its main energy sources in crisis, the vision of a Cuba without blackouts grows more distant as summer approaches—a season that brings as many power outages as it does excuses from the authorities.
First published in Spanish by 14ymedio and translated and posted in English by Havana Times.