Marta Elena Feito Cabrer, Minister of Labor and Social Security, wrote on social media that this decision was taken due to “the energy situation” in the country and to “contribute to the necessary savings,” although she added that “essential” activities were exempted.
“Taking into account the energy situation facing the country and with the aim of contributing to the necessary savings in electricity consumption to mitigate the impact on the population, it has been decided to suspend non-essential teaching and work activities under current conditions for the this 14 and 15 February,” she said.
The Cuban government did not clarify how this measure affects the 33rd edition of the Havana International Book Fair, which theoretically starts this Friday in the capital with plans to host 400 guests from 40 countries. continue reading
The official press reproduced statements by the Director General of Electricity of the Ministry of Energy and Mines, Lázaro Guerra, in which he assured that “tomorrow will also be complex,” although his department expects “an improvement in the effects on the service.”
The Electric Union (UNE) had predicted a deficit of 1,810 megawatts (MW) for peak hours on Thursday, which finally amounted to 1,656 MW as of 6:30 p.m., as the agency posted on social media early Friday morning.
According to the note, the slight improvement was due to “greater availability of diesel fuel for distributed generation and lower-than-forecast demand.”
Unit 3 of the Santa Cruz del Norte thermoelectric plant was incorporated into the National Electric System (SEN) and the start-up of Unit 6 of Renté has begun. In addition, Units 5 and 6 of Nuevitas should also begin their start-up this Friday.
The UNE also announced the start-up of the Turkish patanas — floating power plants — that remain in Havana, Matanzas and Santiago. Currently only three of the eight previously operating are workable, due to the availability of fuel. There are at least three oil tankers in the port of Havana and Matanzas is awaiting the arrival, on February 19, of the Russian Akademik Gubkin, which left Ust-Luga with 100,000 tons of crude oil, according to Reuters.
There are at least three oil tankers in the port of Havana and Matanzas is awaiting the arrival of the Russian Akademik Gubkin, which left Ust-Luga with 100,000 tons of crude oil, according to Reuters.
In recent days, power outages have been ravaging the island. Cities across the country have been experiencing power outages lasting more than 24 consecutive hours over the past two days, and reports of power outages lasting more than 30 hours have already come from many provinces, including Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Sancti Spíritus, Matanzas and Granma.
In addition, for the first time in Havana, service suspensions of at least six hours have been scheduled, forcing emblematic establishments in the capital, such as the Coppelia ice cream parlor, to close.
Cuba has been suffering from this energy crisis for years, which has worsened since the last quarter of 2024, a period in which three national blackouts were recorded. Two of them were due to unforeseen events which, in a critical operational situation, caused the National Electric System (SEN) to collapse.
The worsening energy crisis follows the breakdowns in the country’s obsolete thermoelectric plants, which have been in operation for decades, worsened by a chronic lack of investment, and a fuel shortage due to the State’s lack of foreign currency to import it and the drop in deliveries from Venezuela.
According to various independent estimates, the government would need between 8 and 10 billion dollars to revive the National Electric System, an investment beyond its reach. And any solution could only be realized in the long term.
According to various independent estimates, the Government would need between 8 and 10 billion dollars to revive the National Electric System, an investment beyond its reach.
To try to alleviate this, the authorities are accelerating a plan to build solar parks with the help of China, which should provide 200 MW this year, still far from the daily needs, which are around 1,500 MW.
The frequent power outages are weighing down the Cuban economy, which shrank by 1.9% in 2023 and did not grow last year, according to government estimates. According to these figures, the island’s GDP remains below 2019 levels and will not exceed that in 2025, for which the Executive expects a 1% increase.
Power outages have been the trigger for some protests, such as the social uprising in July 2021, the largest anti-government demonstrations in decades; those in Nuevitas and Havana in August 2022; and those in Santiago de Cuba and other eastern cities in March 2024.
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14ymedio/EFE, Madrid/New York, 30 March 2025 — The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has notified partners of the state oil company PDVsa that their permits to export crude oil and derivatives from Venezuela were canceled, several US media reported this Saturday. Among the affected companies are the Spanish Repsol, the American Global Oil Terminals, the Italian Eni, the French Maurel & Prom and the Indian Reliance Industries.
