In 2023, Cuba imported more fuel than the previous year to generate electricity and thus mainly compensate for the continued decline in production from its obsolete thermoelectric plants.
This is the main conclusion that emerges from the annual report “Electricity in Cuba. Selected indicators 2023”, which was published this Monday by the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI).
According to these figures, gross national generation fell by 2.5% in 2023 compared to the previous year, to 15,331.1 GW, almost exclusively due to the decrease in the production of the so-called Public Service Companies, a category made up of mainly due to the seven thermoelectric plants in the country.
Furthermore, one of the graphs provided by the report shows that the reduction was 74% compared to the figures reported in 2019.
The import of electrical energy increased by 73.5%; from 2,590.7 to 4,493.8 GW, in the form of fuel that was used (directly or after refining) in the 1,356 generating sets distributed throughout the country and the rented floating power plants.
In this way, the energy generated by imported fuel reached the equivalent of 31% of that produced in thermoelectric plants with national oil.
For its part, consumption increased by 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.
According to the report, fossil fuels accounted for 96.4% of the Cuban energy mix, while renewables barely accounted for 3.6% after their production fell 6.4% compared to the previous year. Cuba’s stated objective is for the latter to account for 24% by 2030.
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The Cuban electrical system is in a precarious situation: its plants are obsolete after more than four decades of use and the chronic lack of investments and adequate maintenance.
Added to this is the shortage of imported fuel, due to lack of foreign currency from the Cuban State or problems with contracting, according to the government.
Efe/OnCuba.
