- UNE announced the “total disconnection” of the Electrical System
- The Antonio Guiteras power plant had scheduled maintenance, but it did not last until the scheduled date
- With the country in darkness and the economy paralyzed, Marrero says that Cuba “is not yet in a bottomless abyss”
14ymedio, Havana, 18 October 2024 — The Cuban Ministry of Energy and Mines announced on Friday the “total disconnection” of the National Electric System (SEN), which occurred at 11:07 am after the “unexpected” shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras power plant. In a brief note, as the country’s circuits were progressively shutting down, the authorities only added that they were “working” to get power back to the country. Hours later, the Cuban Electric Union (UNE) reported that the first local microsystems were already starting to be connected and, although it avoided offering an estimate of the time it will take to reestablish electricity, it stated that “the restoration of the SEN is at very early point.” The message for Cubans is loud and clear: the power will not arrive today.
The day before the disaster, the Cuban Electric Union (UNE) warned that, after remaining on all summer, the largest thermoelectric plant on the island needed to be shut down for maintenance, but everything indicates that the plant did not last until the scheduled date.
“From the country’s leadership, we are devoting absolute priority to addressing and solving this energy contingency of high sensitivity for the nation,” Miguel Díaz-Canel said on X, minutes after the announcement, with his habitual voluntarism.
According to a UNE source contacted by 14ymedio, “this time it is not a simple and we do not expect to have electricity for another two days.” Private ice cream vendors have been the first to take measures to save their businesses and have gone out into the streets to try to sell their products as soon as possible. State transportation has almost completely stopped. Only a few privileged paladares [private restaurants], such as La Parada VIP, continue to provide services with their own power plants. Customers arrive to take the last cold beers available along the entire Luyanó road or sit down to enjoy a meal, unconcerned by the serious situation facing the Island.
Only near the Etecsa (State telecommunications company) offices do Cubans manage to connect to the Internet. Those who do not have phones and are still unaware of the situation sit in doorways to get some fresh air or wait in banks for the ATMs to come back to life.
In Sancti Spíritus, the massive blackout not only caused inconvenience to the population, but also caused a lot of electrical equipment to burn. “Around 11:00 am, when the manipulation of the equipment began, there was a power surge in a large part of the city, especially in circuit 112,” says Rolando, a resident of this area. “The equipment that was connected began to smoke and then the power went out throughout the city. The mobile connection also went down,” he adds
Authorities have avoided giving information beyond the announcement of the SEN disconnection. In a report on Midday News broadcast in which Lázaro Guerra, director general of electricity at the Ministry of Energy and Mines, was interviewed, the official explained that, although he does not know how long it will take to reestablish the electrical grid, the Energás Puerto Escondido and Energás Boca de Jaruco plants – both belonging to a joint venture with Cubapetróleo, UNE and the Canadian mining company Sherritt – were able to start up, supplying power to Varadero and part of the capital, and with which they will try to revive unit 1 of the Santa Cruz del Norte plant in Mayabeque.
In addition, he added that, “with great effort,” fuel was obtained to power the Mariel and Santiago de Cuba patanas [Turkish floating power plants], which are expected to activate the Mariel and Renté thermoelectric plants respectively. The fuel from Mariel, added the official, “is already sailing and should arrive at the port between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m.”
Guerra reiterated that “there will be hours without (electrical) service, the restoration will be gradual and will be carried out in compliance with the protocols to do so safely.”
The official indicated that the strategy they are following is to try to provide energy to the available terrestrial thermal power plants (CTE) through distributed generation and to reconnect them to the national electricity grid, after the “total” collapse of the electrical system.
In September 2022, a similar situation of “zero production” of energy occurred after Hurricane Ian passed through the western provinces of the Island. This caused a serious imbalance and left the entire country in the dark.
In an interview with journalist Mario Pentón, University of Texas researcher Jorge Piñón offered an overview of what, in his opinion, is keeping the SEN in the current crisis. On the one hand, the Soviet thermoelectric plants – only the Guiteras is of French design – have been in operation for more than 40 years, and have received little maintenance on a small scale that is not enough to keep them fully operational. In addition, they burn Cuban crude oil, with high levels of sulfur and metals that deteriorate the plants at a faster rate. The generator sets, “created by Fidel Castro” – Piñón continues – are also not efficient in terms of logistics, since they must be constantly supplied with diesel, an expensive fuel.
Finally, the Turkish floating power plants, which, as the expert notes, the authorities announced as the solution to all the island’s energy problems, have been shut down for weeks.
All of this, concludes Piñón, has a common denominator. As 14ymedio had already noted in several recent articles, Piñón highlights that the crisis worsened after shipments of Venezuelan crude oil to Cuba began to decrease. “I know, from my sources, that Venezuela told Cuba that it would prioritize oil shipments to (the Spanish company) Repsol and (the American company) Chevron, who pay in cash and that is what they need. […] They told Cuba to get in line,” he explains. As for aid from Russia and Mexico to Havana, the first has not materialized and the second has decreased, Piñón concludes.
This Thursday, the announced special television appearance by Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero to report on the “energy emergency situation” took place almost an hour and a half late. At 8:30 pm, when it was scheduled, they explained that there were “technical problems” that prevented the videoconference connection between Havana – where Alfredo López Valdés, director of UNE, and Edrey Rocha González, director of Unión Cuba Petróleo (Cupet) were – and Santiago de Cuba, where the Prime Minister is on an official visit.
Finally, shortly after 9:45 p.m., the broadcast began, with a choppy voice and image. In his speech, which lasted less than an hour, Marrero did not reveal much new information. “We have had to paralyze the economy in order to guarantee a minimum of electricity service,” he acknowledged.
The Cuban Electric Union announced in a statement on Thursday night that it was suspending “non-vital services that generate energy costs.” These include teaching activities, i.e. classes, from Friday to Sunday at all levels of education. In addition, cultural activities, discos, recreation centers and “other activities that generate high concentrations of people” are being halted, both in the state and non-state sectors.
UNE announced the suspension of classes from Friday to Sunday at all levels of education
Only “vital centres, such as hospitals and food processing centres” will remain in service, and “indispensable” personnel will return to their jobs.
In this worsening energy crisis, the prime minister said that the most significant factor is “the lack of fuel.” Although the impact yesterday was expected to be 1,678 megawatts (MW), it was ultimately 1,800 MW. The shortage of oil was what caused the Turkish floating power plants to go out of service and the generator sets to stop working.
According to the director of Cupet, a ship loaded with fuel oil, “which the country paid for with extraordinary effort, arrived on the 9th [of October], but it coincided with the arrival of bad weather and we were not able to dock it in Matanzas until the 14th.” The official did not mention the name of the ship, but it is the Equality, which travels under the flag of Tanzania and is one of those that the Island uses for coasting between ports, in this case with a load of fuel.
It is expected to arrive in Moa on Thursday night, but due to bad weather it will not arrive until today to supply the Mariel and Havana plants. The cargo is 2,000 tons of fuel, said Rocha González.
Although the authorities did not mention it either, the Liberian-flagged Ocean Mariner is scheduled to dock in Santiago de Cuba from Mexico.
The UNE director announced the upcoming decommissioning of the Felton and Guiteras thermoelectric plants, two of the largest in the country.
“Within the residential sector, the form of non-state management has grown, as they are large consumers and are paying these subsidized rates without any control”
Marrero also attributed the problems to the “increase in demand” from the population, especially from the private sector. “We are not going to limit the population from improving their quality of life,” said the Prime Minister trying to calm the situation, but they claim to have analyzed that “within the residential sector, the form of non-state management has grown, they are large consumers and they are paying those subsidized rates without any control.”
He announced that For private entrepreneurs, before the end of the year, a new electricity rate will be established, different from the residential rate and higher, because “they are generating wealth.”
“The private sector will have a plan and it will be controlled effectively,” López Valdés responded. For example, the temperature will be at 24 or 25 degrees, no less, or the rooms will be hermetically sealed for greater efficiency.
From the point of view of consumption, the UNE director stressed, “exceptional measures must be taken.” One of them, Marrero pointed out, is “to eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels.” Thus, he announced that the purchase of “a solar photovoltaic system instead of a generator” will be encouraged, so that more people “become independent” of the national energy system. “Everyone who makes an investment must have their own photovoltaic system and this must be required,” said the authorities.
The Prime Minister lashed out at the “enemy’s opinion matrix” which insists “that this is going to get worse, that it is not going to be resolved.”
In the midst of the disastrous panorama that they were acknowledging, López Valdés took the opportunity to remind that the Government is building 31 photovoltaic parks with a capacity of 21 MW each. “That is not for tomorrow, but well, let’s say for next summer, we are going to have 30 parks of 20 megawatts, that is 600 megawatts that we will have for next summer.”
The Cuban people are unlikely to have that much patience, as they are venting their anger against the regime in comments on social media. Protests were also reported in the streets of Báguanos, Holguín and Sancti Spíritus.
The Prime Minister also took the opportunity to attack the “enemy’s opinion matrix,” which claims “that this is going to get worse, that it will not be resolved.” Marrero asserted: “With all the objectivity and transparency that it brings, we are not yet in a bottomless abyss.”
Before the special live broadcast, national television presenters announced that they would re-air it in the Morning Magazine and in the two o’clock news on Friday. At the time Marrero spoke, more than half of the island was without electricity.
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