Officials argue that the problem isn’t failures and breakdowns in the thermoelectric plants, but rather the lack of fuel to operate them
HAVANA TIMES – After two months of blackouts and daily deficits that reached over 1,000 megawatts (MW), the State electric company (UNE) and Cuba Petroleo (Cupet) offered an “explanation” on Cuban Television this Thursday. The directors of both state-owned companies attributed the latest energy crisis in the country to a 46% drop in fuel imports in recent months.
A report from the National News on Thursday night, where the officials appeared, defended the thesis that the problem isn’t failures and breakdowns in the thermoelectric plants, but rather the lack of fuel to operate them. “The country’s consumption in one year is around 8 million tons of various fuels. Of these, 3 million are domestically produced, and the rest is imported (…). In the case of diesel, there was a one-third decrease in imports in 2023, and for fuel oil, today we have approximately 30% of the demand required for generation,” explained Nestor Perez, director of Cupet.
Thermoelectric plants run on domestic oil and usually do not have supply problems. In contrast, the production of electricity by mobile generation (floating generator boats and stationary engines) requires imported fuel oil or diesel.
According to López, in 2023 the thermoelectric plants covered about 60% of the country’s energy demand.
The problems, however, do not end there. “Both with engines and mobile generation, we are experiencing deficits due to breaches we have had with some suppliers,” admitted Perez, who described the constant search for “stable supplies” as a “permanent struggle.”
Fuels such as diesel, he added, present another difficulty, as they are not only intended for generating electrici
