In the midst of the unprecedented energy crisis taken to the extreme by the United States oil blockade, this Wednesday the commercialization of liquefied gas to the population in Havana, Artemisa and Mayabeque began, through “regulated distribution” to guarantee coverage and “avoid hoarding.”
According to Havana Tribune, The restoration of service follows the arrival of a new shipment and occurs while the country suffers blackouts of more than 20 consecutive hours, except in Havana, where interruptions have reached up to 17 hours in recent weeks.
In a statement, the Liquefied Gas company specified that the dispatch is organized with operational controls and territorial priorities to sustain basic supply, a subtle relief to the energy crisis aggravated by restrictions in the fuel supply since last December.
The plan provides for the daily distribution of 15,000 cylinders at authorized points of sale in the three provinces, and priority will be given to areas with the highest customer density, multi-family buildings and circuits that have recorded the greatest electrical damage, according to the entity.
The regulations establish the sale of a single cylinder by contract and the organization of shifts according to the date of the last purchase. Meanwhile, registered couriers will only be able to purchase one cylinder per customer each day.
The shortage of liquefied gas continues to be a national problem without an effective solution. The supply of this product was severely affected last year. In August, the unloading of 1,300 tons began in Santiago de Cuba, after the shipment that arrived in May was exhausted.
Zero option
In an unusual television appearance last week, the Cuban president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, acknowledged that the energy situation is “complex” and that, after the tap is turned off from Caracas, Cubans are going to “live in difficult times (…), very difficult.”
Díaz-Canel revived the concept of the “zero option”, a survival plan in the face of a scenario of imported “zero oil” that involved extreme rationing, food self-sufficiency, the use of animal traction, charcoal for cooking and non-motorized transportation, among other measures.
Cuba has been suffering a serious energy crisis for several years due to the frequent breakdowns of its obsolete thermoelectric plants and the lack of foreign currency to import the fuels necessary to fuel distributed generation.
Cuba revives its survival plan from the 90s in the face of the “zero fuel” scenario
The US military operation in Caracas on January 3 meant for Havana, in addition to the blow to a key regional ally, the end of vital energy supplies.
Faced with this scenario, the Government responded with a package of emergency measures. The program includes fuel rationing, the reduction of public services and the prioritization of essential activities.
Recently, during the broadcast of the Round Table, Deputy Prime Minister Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga stressed that the little fuel available will be used for “essential services, electricity generation, health services, water supply and defense activities.”
President Miguel Díaz-Canel denounced Washington’s “energy blockade” and described the policy towards Cuba as “criminal”, while reiterating the willingness of a multi-thematic dialogue with the White House, but without pressure and under certain conditions, including respect for the island’s sovereignty.
