The deficit in electricity generation will reach 1,990 MW on the night of December 24, which would affect 60% of the country, according to EFE estimates based on the report from the Electrical Union (UNE).
The high deficit is similar to those recorded during the beginning of December, reflecting a serious energy crisis that has been squeezing the island since mid-2024 due to frequent breakdowns in its obsolete thermoelectric plants and the lack of foreign currency to import the oil necessary to produce energy.
The UNE estimates for the “peak” time of the day a generation capacity of 1,340 megawatts (MW) and a maximum demand of 3,300 MW, so the deficit will be 1,960 MW and the impact – what will actually be disconnected to avoid disorderly blackouts – will reach 1,990 MW.
The impact was similar to that predicted yesterday, only when the moment arrived, the deficit stretched to 2,184 MW, at 6:30 p.m., according to the UNE.
Seven of the 16 operational thermoelectric production units are out of service due to breakdowns or maintenance. This energy source accounts for around 40% of the energy mix in Cuba.
Likewise, 95 distributed generation plants (engines) are not operating due to lack of fuel (diesel and fuel oil). This energy source also represents 40% of the energy mix.
Independent experts point out that the energy crisis on the island responds to chronic underfinancing of this sector, completely in the hands of the State since the triumph of the revolution and determined by the technology with which it was built.
For its part, the Cuban Government points to the impact of US sanctions on this industry and accuses Washington of “energy asphyxiation.”
The prolonged blackouts weigh down the economy, which has contracted 11% in Cuba in the past five years and will also close in negative in 2025. In the same way, the cuts and their consequences for the functioning of daily life have been the trigger for the main protests in recent years.
