Havana/Madrid/In 2023, Cuba imported 73.5% more fuel than the previous year to generate electricity and thus mainly compensate for the drop in production from its obsolete thermoelectric plants.
This is the main conclusion that emerges from the annual report Electricity in Cuba. Selected indicators 2023which was published this Monday by the National Office of Statistics and Information (Onei) without any reference to the frequent blackouts suffered by the country.
Gross national generation fell 2.5% in 2023 compared to the previous year, to 15,331.1 gigawatt hours, almost exclusively due to the decrease in the production of the so-called public service companies, a category made up mainly of the seven power plants. thermoelectric plants in the country (which use national crude oil), according to these figures.
The import of electrical energy increased by 73.5%, from 2,590.7 to 4,493.8 gigawatt hours, in the form of fuel that was used (directly or after refining) in the 1,356 generating sets distributed throughout the country and rented floating plants.
The energy generated by imported fuel reached the equivalent of 31% of that produced in thermoelectric plants with national oil
In this way, the energy generated by imported fuel reached the equivalent of 31% of that produced in thermoelectric plants with national oil.
Consumption increased 8% year-on-year, driven largely by increases in state demand (15.6%) and residential demand (12.2%).
The loss of electrical energy both in its transmission and in its distribution rose by 8.4% in year-on-year terms and, always according to Onei figures, represented 18.7% of the total energy generation.
Fossil fuels accounted for 96.4% of the Cuban energy mix, while renewables accounted for just 3.6% after their production fell 6.4% compared to the previous year. Thus, the declared objective of renewables accounting for 24% by 2030 is very far away.
Last March, it was announced, on the one hand, two contracts with Chinese companies to install 92 solar parks on the Island and, on the other, that Spain will support the construction of another solar park in Cuban territory with the help of funds from the European Union. No details of dates were given, but regarding the Chinese, the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, said that they will “gradually” contribute more than 2,000 megawatts (MW) to the National Electric System (SEN).
The problem, however, is the deadlines, one of the great disadvantages of renewables: the first park must be completed in May 2025 and the second, the same month of 2028.
Meanwhile, the Cuban electrical system continues to die. With more than four decades of use and a chronic lack of investment, its plants are rattling. They are obsolete after more than four decades of use and the chronic lack of investments and adequate maintenance. The Electrical Union itself has admitted that Cuba could need 10 billion dollars to repair its plants.
Added to the never-ending crisis this year is the shortage of imported fuel, due to lack of foreign currency from the Cuban State and distribution problems. Blackouts have been frequent between January and March and since the beginning of May, hampering economic performance and generating protests and social unrest.
