On 21 June government officials and power sector experts in Cuba, prompted by the beginning of summer, warned that the risk of a catastrophic failure of Cuba’s electricity grid is increasing.
Analysis:
On 22 June officials said the country would be able to meet only half its total electricity demand, with reports in some areas of 20-hour power cuts. There have been damaging power cuts across the island since August last year. The cuts are caused by at least three factors: a shortage of foreign currency which limits purchases of fuel oil to power generators; the poor state of repair of the country’s ageing power plants; and rising temperatures, all of which put added stress on the system.
- President Miguel Díaz-Canel has warned that the power situation is “critical” and admitted that the cuts have “diminished, [and] almost paralysed” the Cuban economy. At peak time on 22 June electricity supply stood at 1,820 megawatts (MW) while demand was 3,500MW, creating a deficit of 1,680 MW.
- Cuba operates eight thermal power plants with 20 generating units; all are in a state of poor repair and are therefore able to operate at only 40% of installed capacity. Alfredo López, the director of the state electricity company Unión Eléctrica (UNE), has acknowledged that in May power cuts averaged 18 hours a day. In the short term, he said it is impossible to bring the cuts to an end, so the government is focusing on better management of the existing outages.
- Making matters worse for the population at large is a shortage of liquid petroleum gas (LPG), which is mainly used for domestic cooking. The energy and mines minister, Vicente de la O Levy, said government policy is to try and reduce the number of cuts as it looks for long-term solutions, such as building new gas and solar-powered generators.
Looking Ahead: The Cuban authorities fear that the power cuts may increase anti-government sentiment. There have been a number of protests in recent years: in July 2021 (nationwide), in August 2022 (in Havana and Nuevitas), and in March 2024 (in Santiago de Cuba and other locations).
