The Cuban province of Villa Clara is grappling with widespread blackouts this Friday, leaving 162 out of 164 residential circuits without power, according to local authorities. Yadier Ruiz, the director of the Load Dispatch Office in Villa Clara, revealed on Facebook, via the local station CMHW, that nearly all residential circuits are currently offline in the province.
As of 11:56 a.m. today, the region faced an electricity deficit of 150 MW during the midday peak, disrupting the pre-planned power outage schedule published by official media, Ruiz explained. "Given such complex energy circumstances, rotating circuits as initially planned is impossible," Ruiz stated.
Reactions to this announcement on social media were swift and critical. "Why shut down all circuits if Santo Domingo is covering Villa Clara's entire deficit? It’s inhumane and disrespectful to leave an entire town without power for over 30 hours… I'm at a loss for words. I was part of the electrical team years ago and I know you're enduring the pressure, but this must stop," commented an outraged user in response to the official post.
Cuba's Energy Crisis Spreads Across Provinces
The energy crisis extends across all Cuban provinces. This Friday, Havana's Electric Company also announced further emergency blackouts. According to a Facebook post, outages affected capital city customers linked to Blocks #1 and #2 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., with Block #4 scheduled for cuts from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
In a critical appeal, the public was urged to use electricity sparingly to reduce consumption and prevent overloading the grid. The generation deficit is anticipated to reach 1,595 MW during peak hours, accounting for more than half of the national demand.
Compounding the situation are several power plants that remain out of service due to breakdowns and fuel shortages. Facilities such as the CTE Mariel, CTE Santa Cruz, CTE Cienfuegos, and CTE Nuevitas are inactive. The National Electric Union (UNE) forecasts a peak availability of merely 1,675 MW against an estimated demand of 3,200 MW, projecting a staggering deficit of 1,525 MW.