Cuba has achieved restore your national electrical system total, but the return to normality is far from having occurred. The state Electrical Union (UNE) confirmed this Tuesday night that all provinces have been reconnected to the system, although it warned that supply cuts continue in large areas of the country.
The reconnection was completed from the western end, in Pinar del Río, to the eastern provinces such as Santiago de Cuba, Granma and Guantánamo, the last to be integrated into the network again. However, The lack of generation capacity continues to force rotating blackouts.
A slow and conditional restoration
The recovery process of the electrical system has been especially complex on this occasion. As explained by a UNE specialist, the main difficulty has been the fuel shortage, which has limited the use of key generation engines to reactivate thermal plants more quickly.
In addition, some important facilities remain out of service. This is the case of the Felton thermoelectric plant, one of the largest in the country, which has not yet been synchronized with the system and will not do so, predictably, until Wednesday.
In Havanaone of the territories where progress has been made the fastest, only 55% of customers have recovered their electricity supply, which reflects the slowness of the process and the difficulties in stabilizing the network.
A system on the limit
The blackout, the sixth national one in just a year and a halfoccurred this Monday early afternoon for reasons that have not yet been determined. But what happened is not an isolated event, but rather the reflection of a structural situation that has been affecting the Cuban electrical system for years.
Before this total collapse, the country was already experiencing a deep energy crisis: blackouts of up to 15 hours a day in Havana and up to 48 hours in some provinces. The electrical network works at its limit, with obsolete installations, frequent breakdowns and insufficient generation capacity to cover demand.
Much of the problem lies in the state of thermoelectric plants, many with decades of exploitation, to which is added the lack of investment and the shortage of foreign currency to import fuel.
The impact of the blockade and the economic crisis
A key factor has been added to this structural situation in recent months: the oil blockade imposed by the United States, which has significantly reduced access for to fuels such as diesel or fuel oil, essential for electricity generation.
The Cuban Government speaks of “energy asphyxiation“, while independent experts estimate that the complete recovery of the system would require investments of between 8,000 and 10,000 million dollars, a figure well above the country’s current possibilities.
The consequences are already being felt throughout the economy. The lack of electricity is paralyzing productive activity on an island that has already accumulated a contraction of close to 15% since 2020.
Social unrest grows
The impact of blackouts goes beyond the economic. In recent days, protests have been reported in several areas of the country, especially in Havana, and also a demonstration in Morón that ended with incidents and arrests.
Restoring the electrical system provides partial relief, but does not solve the underlying problem. With a fragile network, lack of fuel and growing demand, Cuba continues to face an energy crisis that threatens to last over time.
