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.