Cuba’s Prime Minister Announces Energy Emergency
With the country in darkness and the economy paralyzed, Marrero says Cuba “is not yet in a bottomless abyss”.
HAVANA TIMES – The anticipated special televised address by Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero to inform about the “emergency energy situation” was delayed by almost an hour and a half. At 8:30 pm, the scheduled time, it was explained that there were “technical problems” preventing the video conference connection between Havana—where Alfredo Lopez, director of the Cuban State Electric Co. (UNE), and Edrey Rocha, director of Cuba-Petroleum (Cupet), were located, and Santiago de Cuba, where the prime minister was on an official visit.
Finally, shortly after 9:45 pm, the transmission began with choppy images and sound. In his intervention, lasting less than an hour, Marrero did not reveal major updates. “We have had to shut down the economy to guarantee a minimum of electric service,” he admitted.
The Cuban Electric Co. reported in a statement on Thursday night that it was suspending “non-essential services that generate energy consumption.” Among these are educational activities —classes, from Friday to Sunday, at all levels of education. Additionally, cultural activities, discos, recreation centers, and “other activities that generate large gatherings of people,” both in the state and non-state sectors, are suspended.
Only “vital centers, such as hospitals and food production facilities,” will remain operational, and only “essential” personnel will report to work.
In this worsening energy crisis, the main contributing factor, according to the prime minister, is “the lack of fuel.” Although the power generation deficit for the day was forecast to be 1,678 megawatts (MW), the shortfall ultimately reached 1,800 MW. The shortage of oil was what caused Turkish floating power plants to go offline, along with the shutdown of generator groups.
The Cupet director explained that a ship carrying fuel oil, “which the country paid for with extraordinary effort, arrived on October 9, but due to bad weather, we couldn’t dock it in Matanzas until the 14th.” The official did not mention the ship’s name, but it is the Equality, flying under the Tanzanian flag, which the island uses for coastal shipping between ports, in this case carrying fuel.
The ship was expected to reach Moa, Holguin on Thursday night, but due to bad weather, it wouldn’t arrive until today to supply the Mariel and Havana plants.
Although it wasn’t mentioned by the authorities, the Ocean Mariner, flying the Liberian flag, is scheduled to dock in Santiago de Cuba, coming from Mexico.
The UNE director also announced the upcoming shutdown of the Felton and Guiteras thermoelectric plants, two of the most important in the country.
Marrero also attributed the power issues to the “increased demand” from the population, particularly the private sector. “We are not going to limit the population from improving their quality of life,” the prime minister reassured, but he confirmed that they had analyzed that “non-state management has increased within the residential sector, and these are large consumers who are paying subsidized rates without any control.”
For private entrepreneurs, he announced that a new, higher electricity tariff, different from the residential rate, would be established before the end of the year because “they are generating wealth.”
“The private sector will have a plan and will be controlled effectively,” Lopez responded. For instance, ensuring the temperature is set at 24 or 25 degrees Celsius (75 to 77 F), no lower, and that rooms are sealed airtight for better efficiency.
From a consumption standpoint, the Electric Co. director emphasized the need for “exceptional measures.” One such measure, Marrero mentioned, is “gradually eliminating our dependence on fossil fuels.” He announced plans to incentivize the purchase of “a small solar photovoltaic system instead of a generator,” so more people can “become independent” from the national energy system. “Everyone who makes an investment should have their own photovoltaic system, and this must be required,” the authorities stated.
Amid the disastrous situation being acknowledged, Lopez took the opportunity to remind that the government is constructing 31 photovoltaic parks, each with a capacity of 21 MW. “That’s not for tomorrow, but by next summer, we will have 30 parks of 20 megawatts each, which means 600 megawatts for next summer.”
However, it is unlikely that the Cuban people, who are expressing their anger on social media, will have such patience. In Baguanos, Holguín, and Sancti Spíritus, street protests have been reported.
The prime minister did not miss the opportunity to lash out at the “enemy’s narrative,” claiming “that this situation will worsen and won’t be resolved.” Marrero asserted, “With all the objectivity and transparency required, we are not yet in a bottomless abyss.”
Before the live special broadcast, national TV announcers stated that it would be rebroadcast on Revista de la Mañana and during the 2 pm news on Friday. By the time Marrero spoke, more than half of the island was without power.
Tim Scott has NO idea of what he is talking about. CHINA is an economic miracle where 850 million people where lifted out of poverty in 30 years due to a well managed socialistic orientated economy ( I know Nixon was in China in 72 I was there in 78. I know what I saw !!!! )
This is typical of not only Cuba but also China and Russia. The problem is basically that under communism corruption rules supreme until finally that country’s economy collapses.
And Cuba has nothing to offer the people until a new govenment comes to Cuba. Once the dictator Miguel Diaz Canal is removed from office and a democracy is set up then the Americans and many other countries will want to invest in Cuba and the proverty will end.
This is beyond a sad end to the lofty ideals of the Cuban revolution.
The super-incompetence, the hidden corruption, the blatant nepotism…It’s total tragedy!
They keep the icon of their corruption, Alejandro Fernandez Gil, out of sight instead of publicly trying him!
The fruits of wasting hundreds of millions of dollars on new hotel construction are these collapsed electrical plants! They abandoned agriculture and spend all the hard currency squeezed out of the people importing food from the land of the tightened blockade and increased sanctions instead of investing that same money in private Cuban farmers!
They have absolutely no imagination on how to dispose of garbage piling up in the streets. They should simply resign or perhaps contract the government to a Mipymes!!!
God save Cuba from Raul and his band of corrupt incompetents!
The fatal mistake Fidel made in his insecurity and arbitrariness was to appoint Raul as replacement.
I have spoken to family members in both Guantanamo and Havana. Both households are reaching the end of their patience. The folks who live in Guantanamo are hard-core Fidelistas. In fact, they honestly believe that if Fidel was still alive and in charge, the energy shortages would not be happening. My Havana family is of the mind that since the lights are still on in the Santa Fe, Miramar and Playa neighborhoods, until the blackouts affect these communities, the problem will not be solved. Either way, the downstream effects are serious. Street lights in Havana have been cut off. The nighttime security lights in the Carlos III (major Havana shopping center) are dimmed significantly. The police are patrolling less in their vehicles and instead stationed on street corners. As a result, you can be sure robberies will go up where the areas are darkest and possibility of not having to worry about the police is the highest. Looting has never been a thing in Cuba. Not after hurricanes or during major public marches. But many locals in Havana fear that those days are over. With no Venezuelan or Russian oil to bail them out, Cuba just may be close to it’s breaking point.
The president and Raul, should grab their bags of gold and run to Venezuela.
“He announced plans to incentivize the purchase of “a small solar photovoltaic system instead of a generator,” so more people can “become independent” from the national energy system. “Everyone who makes an investment should have their own photovoltaic system, and this must be required,” the authorities stated.“ Cubans must be shaking their heads.
How ironic that the Cuban so called “ socialist state” is now requiring the general Cuban population to supply their own photovoltaic energy. Most Cubans are resourceful; however, this dire situation requires immediate solutions not futuristic fiction. The 1959 Revolution Faustian Bargain was that the Cuban population would give up their freedoms in exchange for the communist regime to provide all Cubans with their essential basic needs has truly evaporated – for good. Cubans have no freedoms and the totalitarian state breached its Constitutional contract.
Where in this world is it required for a country’s population to be decreed to have to supply their own energy in order to survive when the so called communist socialist mandate is to provide for all. Plus, the decree is absolutely mandatory for all Cubans as the above quote emphatically states “. . . this must be required “, the authorities state.” Not optional but “ required”.
“ Everyone who makes an investment. . . “ Marrero and Company stated in an unabashedly manner are completely disconnected from Cuban reality in that statement. The majority of Cubans are living hand to mouth so where are they supposed to obtain the necessary funds to make an “ investment “ to obtain photovoltaic apparatus to supposedly connect to all these potential “ . . . 31 photovoltaic parks, each with a capacity of 21 MW. “ which will one day magically appear.?
In the 60 plus years of total rule when has this totalitarian government been able to make life a bit easier for the majority of Cubans? It is one blunder after another and now the Cuban authorities have the audacity to state in their media: “Marrero asserted, “With all the objectivity and transparency required, we are not yet in a bottomless abyss.” Right. Tell that to the Cubans protesting on the streets for the lights to be turned on.
What the totalitarian government wants to do is rid itself of the responsibility of providing anything to its suffering population so that if Cubans in the future do not have adequate energy to sustain themselves as they presently do, the totalitarian state authorities, like Marrero, will wring their hands of any responsibility and fault ordinary Cubans for their malaise and not themselves – the architects of authoritarian disaster.
“By the time Marrero spoke, more than half of the island was without power.” Absolutely hilarious if the situation for ordinary Cubans wasn’t so sad. Even the Chinese who are industrious and resourceful and who could provide help and wiling to help have seen that dealing with this totalitarian regime who simply refuses to move into the 21st century, politically, are completely hopeless.