Last week, Mario Mendez, economic editor of the newspaper Hoy commented that there were abundant warnings that, if heeded, would have avoided the present electricity crisis. Mr Mendez says that nobody should be surprised by the situation. The CDE, whose own generators are deteriorating, now relies on private suppliers for more than 40% of its power requirements.
The problem is that these suppliers demand payment for their services or just disconnect from the system, as they have done, bringing the worst electricity crisis since 1990.
While the Presidency sent a bill to Congress that it is said will improve the situation, opening up the generation of electricity to more companies, and allowing for strategies that would allow the CDE to privatize, charging thousands of new customers for their consumption, this bill has not yet passed Congress.
It has been delayed by sectors that are resisting the abolition of their privilege or because they want the bill to be approved by a possible future government.
Mario Mendez criticizes the opposition for not pushing for the project which he says is a strategy that will backfire as they will be saddled with multiple debts left by the present administration. He also criticizes the private suppliers that have been pressing to maintain their privileges but, he says, the fact that they are not getting paid is worse.