Cuba will experience prolonged blackouts throughout the country this Monday, cuts that will simultaneously leave over 55% of the island without power at the time of highest energy demand, according to data from the state-owned Unión Eléctrica (UNE) provided to EFE. Cuba has been undergoing a deep energy crisis since mid-2024, but the oil siege imposed by the U.S. government since January has pushed blackouts to record levels, completely paralyzing the economy and sparking widespread social unrest. On January 31st, the historic maximum was recorded since Cuba began regularly publishing energy statistics in 2022, with a blackout that left 63% of the country without power simultaneously. The government has launched an extremely harsh package of emergency measures to try to survive without foreign oil, when the island barely produces a third of its energy needs. The UNE, attached to Cuba's Ministry of Energy and Mines, forecasts for the peak demand period of this day, in the afternoon and evening, a generation capacity of 1,457 megawatts (MW) and a maximum demand of 3,180 MW. The deficit—the difference between supply and demand—will be 1,723 MW, and the estimated impact—what will actually be disconnected to prevent chaotic blackouts—will reach 1,753 MW. Currently, eight of the 16 operational thermal power production units are out of service due to breakdowns or maintenance, which is not related to the U.S. oil blockade. In turn, the Cuban government points to the impact of U.S. sanctions on this industry and accuses Washington of “energy asphyxiation.” The prolonged daily blackouts are dragging down the economy, which has shrunk by more than 15% since 2020, according to official figures. However, the system barely has batteries to store energy. Independent experts indicate that Cuba's energy crisis is due to the chronic underfunding of this sector, which has been entirely in the hands of the state since the revolution's victory in 1959. Several independent calculations estimate that between $8,000 and $10,000 million would be needed to overhaul the electrical system. Furthermore, they have been the trigger for the main protests of recent years. This post “The largest power cut this Monday in Cuba will turn off more than 55% of the island at once” was first published on La Verdad Panamá. This energy source accounts for an average of around 40% of Cuba's energy mix. Another 40% of the mix was the responsibility of so-called distributed generation (engines), which the government has indicated has been completely shut down for four weeks due to the U.S. oil blockade. The country's nascent solar production, thanks to the plan with Beijing's support to open nearly a hundred parks with a total installed capacity of 2,000 MW, set a generation record last week.
