Despite claims from the Cuban regime that the national electrical system, also known as the National Electric System (SEN), is stabilized, power outages continue to heavily impact daily life in Cuba. Residents in provinces like Holguín are experiencing power cuts exceeding 10 hours each day.
The Electric Company of Holguín acknowledged the issue on social media, citing a "generation deficit" as the cause for Sunday's outages, which lasted up to 11 hours in some circuits. "The average time of power disruption due to the generation deficit was 5 hours and 8 minutes (05:08). The longest outage was in Circuit Guaro, lasting 11 hours and 10 minutes," the state-owned company reported.
Other circuits suffered similar disruptions, with Circuit 17, Circuit Alcides Pino, and Circuit 16 each experiencing outages of 10 hours and 50 minutes, while Circuit 13 faced 10 hours and 23 minutes without power. Additionally, Circuit Mir 2 endured a blackout for 9 hours and 10 minutes.
The company issued an apology for the inconvenience caused, but the residents of Holguín expressed their frustration in response, leaving comments highlighting their discontent with the ongoing power outages. Remarks such as "Holguín leading the way," "Poorly informed, because Circuit 1 was affected in the early morning," and "Alcides Pino lost power for 12 hours: six in the morning and six in the evening," were shared by local customers.
Public Outcry and Protests
These persistent and widespread blackouts, which have been a longstanding issue for Cubans, reached unprecedented levels in mid-October, just before a complete collapse of the SEN. On Tuesday, October 15, a large protest took place in the town of Báguanos, Holguín, where residents took to the streets demanding the restoration of electricity after more than 12 hours of daily outages.
Chanting "We want electricity!", dozens gathered in Parque La Madre, calling for municipal authorities to address the situation and commit to resolving the issue for those affected.
Addressing Worker Stress Amid Crisis
In a controversial move that further fueled public anger, the Electric Company of Holguín decided to hire a psychologist in mid-May to help staff cope with the stress caused by the ongoing crisis. This decision came as the company's workers faced mounting pressure from both the public and the challenging working conditions.