Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel

Havana, May 25 (RHC)-- Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel affirmed that the energy generation situation in the country will continue to be complex in the coming days and should improve by the end of May.

Speaking at a meeting of the Council of Ministers, the President said that authorities are working tirelessly to find solutions. Still, that intensity in work, that responsible effort, must be supported with a conscious saving and rational use of energy in all sectors of the economy and residential areas.

The Head of State explained that the Caribbean nation is going through an exceptional moment due to the coincidence of breakdowns in several generating units, which causes a shortage and, consequently, power outages that affect the population and the economy.

He said the breakdowns are linked to the lack of financing for the timely and necessary maintenance of the power plants, which has caused the collapse of some systems.

At the same time, unforeseen circumstances coincided with the breakdowns, such as the event at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, in Matanzas, the one that contributes the most power to the national electric grid, which a lightning strike took out of the system.

The efforts of the sector's workers managed to bring it back online in the early hours of Wednesday morning. So far, it remains stable.

Díaz-Canel acknowledged the efforts of the workers' collectives to solve the current situation as quickly as possible, where scheduled maintenance is also being carried out to ensure service during the summer.

This action includes some plants which were thought to receive maintenance in a staggered and programmed manner. Still, it is not a matter to be solved quickly, said the President, due to all the debts accumulated in the technical attention to the generation equipment.

Diaz-Canel also alluded to the lack of diesel for smaller generation stations, designed to supply the demand when the thermal units that operate with national fuel fail.

He also stated that negotiations are being carried out to acquire fuel in the coming months and achieve stability, which has been difficult.

The President assured that all variants of combined operation are analyzed daily to reduce the effects on the population and the economy. He urged to remain calm because the panorama is complex and adverse for the remainder of May.