Madrid/The Electrical Union of Cuba (UNE) recognized this Friday the corruption case uncovered on Thursday in Calabazar, in the Havana municipality of Boyeros, where two of its linemen were detained by neighbors and later arrested by the authorities after being accused of illegally negotiating the electricity supply.
“We are aware of the event that recently occurred in Calabazar, in which two of our linemen were involved,” writes the state company on your official profile. “The authorities are already following up on the case and the appropriate measures will be adopted, in accordance with the law and established procedures.”
As reported on social networks residents of Calabazar, the linemen were surprised in a state of drunkenness, with cash and cases of beer inside the work vehicle. Residents accused them of diverting electricity supply to MSMEs and private businesses, while the neighborhood suffered more than 24 hours of blackout. The neighbors themselves held them until the authorities arrived. Later, other residents of Calabazar gathered in front of the municipal government headquarters to demand a solution to the prolonged blackouts, under the surveillance of security forces.
Corruption finds fertile ground in a country where electricity has become a scarce commodity. This Friday, UNE itself once again demonstrated the fragility of the system by announcing the entry into operation of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant and, just 26 minutes later, reporting a new breakdown. At 4:54 p.m. late communicated: “At 4:54 p.m. online the CTE Antonio Guiteras.” Shortly after, at 5:20 p.m., he arrived a second notice: “At 5:20 p.m., CTE Antonio Guiteras, offline due to a boiler leak.”
“The Guiteras is a magic trick: do you see it? Well, you don’t see it anymore”
The fleeting synchronization did not surprise the Cubans. Under the announcement of its connection to the system, a user comment could already be read: “And it falls in 3…2…1…”. When the UNE confirmed the new breakdown, the comments were filled with black humor among already exhausted users: “A rabbit reproducing lasts longer than Guiteras”; “The good thing is that this time it won’t take time to cool it down”; “La Guiteras is a magic trick: do you see it? Well, you don’t see it anymore”; and also: “But it lasts less inside than my ex!”
The Matanzas thermoelectric plant, the largest generating unit in the country, subjected for years to exploitation beyond its useful life, has accumulated more than 17 outages so far this year. Its deterioration is one of the main symptoms of the crisis of the national electrical system, which has suffered five total collapses in 2026, three of them in July alonea total of 10 from the end of 2024.
As the energy crisis worsens, reports of illegal charges and other corrupt practices within the electricity company also multiply. “Corruption in the UNE is rampant because of its respect,” a Luyanó resident tells this newspaper. “Not long ago, the neighbors here paid for them to come and fix a breakdown. We had been without electricity for almost 24 hours and we had to pay for them to do what they are supposed to do.” According to neighbors, the practice of paying to be connected to privileged circuits has also spread and thus reduce the time of blackouts.
As the energy crisis worsens, reports of illegal charges and other corrupt practices within the electricity company also multiply.
Similar claims were made by the residents of San Miguel del Padrón during the protests this Thursday, which took place in broad daylight. Neighbors reported that some workers prioritize the restoration of service on certain circuits in exchange for money. “They pay them to come and turn on the power and that is the situation that exists in other neighborhoods, that there is no stable power,” said one resident to Martí News. “The workers know the current need we have with the energy crisis and they are getting paid.”
In some neighborhoods of Havana, blackouts already exceed 72 consecutive hours and the lack of electricity also aggravates the water crisis, since the cuts prevent the regular operation of the pumping systems and leave many residents without supply for weeks.
The water supply crisis has also fueled corrupt practices within Aguas de La Habana. The illegal sale of pipes by workers of the state company is neither a secret nor a novelty for Cubans, who see how inequalities are deepening between those who can pay for a basic service and those who depend exclusively on official channels.
