The residents of Santiago de Cuba are bracing for a harsh reality that will persist until the end of October: a mere three hours of electricity per day, leaving 21 hours of blackout, with some days seeing a complete absence of electric service. This challenging situation was announced by the Electric Company in the eastern region.
In a statement released on social media, the company detailed that due to the ongoing energy crisis, it has organized nine groups encompassing all circuits in the province. Each group will receive just three hours of electricity daily. The company also shared a schedule indicating the daily rotation of electric supply, specifying that one of the groups will experience a 24-hour blackout each day.
The Electric Company further clarified that certain circuits, specifically numbers 15 and 18, which are associated with hospital institutions, and circuit 22, crucial for gas supply to the population, will not experience these outages and will maintain electric service.
On Monday morning, electricity was successfully supplied to the entire western system, from Pinar del Río to parts of Matanzas. Journalist Lázaro Manuel Alonso reported that as of Tuesday morning, only nine percent of Santiago de Cuba had electricity.
Struggling to Restore Power in Eastern Cuba
Alonso emphasized that with the connection between Felton and Renté, electricity coverage in Santiago de Cuba, as well as in Granma and Guantánamo, is expected to improve. He noted that eastern Cuba is facing the most severe difficulties following the collapse of the National Electric System last Friday.
He also mentioned that the first unit of the Lidio Ramón Pérez Thermal Power Plant, commonly known as "Felton," had synchronized in the morning, with plans to connect it with the Antonio Maceo Thermal Power Plant, also known as "Renté," to reinforce the eastern system.
Additionally, he stated that four engines in Moa are currently operational and more could start during the day to enhance electricity coverage in the eastern region.
Finally, Alonso explained that unit four in Cienfuegos is in the start-up phase, with hopes to synchronize it by nightfall. This synchronization could potentially link the system from the west to the east, as this unit is responsible for regulating system frequency.
The Ministry of Energy and Mines reported that as of the 6:00 am local update from the Electric Union, 70.89% of customers in Cuba had their electric service restored. "Efforts to strengthen the established systems and expand electricity coverage across the country continue today," they noted on social media.