Madrid/After the total disconnection of the national electrical system (SEN) that occurred on Friday, July 10 – the second in less than a week and the fourth so far this year – this Sunday the service was still not completely restored. This morning the electrical union of Cuba (UNE) reported that at 6:30 “the SEN was interconnected throughout the country.” During the early hours of the morning, the company had also announced the reincorporation of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, a plant that this year has suffered more than 15 breakdowns. However, thousands of users report being still in blackout at this time.
Much of the country spent the night of July 11 without electricity, water or internet connection. This morning, the Editorial 14ymedio It dawns again with a police operation in front of her home to prevent Yoani Sánchez from leaving. The repressive action of State Security coincides with the fifth anniversary of 11J, in a context of growing social discontent and repeated protests in different parts of the Island.
Despite the police deployment in the streets to maintain control, protests were reported again this Saturday night in various parts of the capital. There were pot bangs “that could be heard throughout Vedado,” according to testimonies spread on social networks, after 40 hours of blackout. In Old Havana, collected videos by Cubanet They show dozens of neighbors playing pots and pans from their balconies and in the streets, where they also set fire to the landfills. The police were present at the scene to prevent the protest from escalating.
Much of the country spent the night of July 11 without electricity, water or internet connection
Despite the reconnection of the electrical system, blackouts remain. In Havana, the UNE reported that “the restoration is carried out gradually, to the extent permitted by the conditions of the SEN.” So far, 254 distribution circuits have been reconnected, benefiting 766,291 customers, 88% of the city, according to the state company.
However, user comments on UNE publications reflect a more muted reality. Neighbors of municipalities as central as Playa and Plaza de la Revolución claim that the electrical service was barely restored for a few minutes before being interrupted again. Some even report short circuits in transformers after power is restored. In numerous municipalities, such as San Miguel del Padrón, Guanabacoa, Playa, La Lisa and Cotorro, residents report that their circuits accumulate between two and three days without electricity.
“Food spoils, daily life stops, and physical and mental exhaustion begins to take its toll on all of us”
A user who addresses the UNE channel “with the greatest respect” and without the intention of “attacking anyone” dedicates a long publication to the situation of three circuits that supply El Cano, Arroyo Arenas, San Agustín and Barbosa. He denounces that “in these six days of crisis” they have barely received two hours of electrical service. His message, written in a serene tone, summarizes the discomfort of many Cubans: “It is a situation that already exceeds our capacity for resistance. Food spoils, daily life stops, and physical and mental exhaustion begins to take its toll on all of us.” At the end he addresses a request to the company: “I ask you to please put yourself in our shoes and consider the impact that this prolonged blackout is having on every home. We are desperately waiting for a response, a sign that we are not alone in this crisis.”
The comment reflects the feelings of many other users from different parts of the capital – Lawton, La Lisa, Alamar and Playa, among others – who report having been without electricity for between two and three days. Messages that hint at the possibility of protests are immediately censored. One user wrote: “What do you expect? For people to take to the streets? How long will this despair that has been bothering us for three days now last?”, and immediately received a warning from the administrators: “Be cautious. Reason: inappropriate topic.”
