Cuba Faces Severe Blackouts Due to 1,700 MW Deficit

Cuba is facing a deepening energy crisis, with widespread blackouts caused by significant electricity generation deficits that have reached as high as 1,742 MW during peak demand periods. The crisis is attributed to chronic technical failures, ongoing maintenance of key thermal power units, and a severe fuel shortage that has rendered many distributed generation plants inoperative. Daily life for Cubans is severely affected, with scheduled rolling blackouts announced in major cities like Havana. Efforts to address the crisis include the recent contribution of electricity from new photovoltaic solar parks and a plan to add 1,000 MW of power generation this year through 50 Chinese-made solar parks. However, these measures have yet to provide significant relief as system shortages persist both day and night, reflecting the precarious state of the national electrical grid. The situation remains critical, with no immediate improvement in sight.