Eighteen words were enough for the official journalist José Miguel Solís to describe the situation that the people of Matanzas experienced this Friday night when the entire electrical circuits of the city lost power supply.
"Matanzas reached 140 MW... The total of its interruptible circuits... At 12:02 it decreases to 114 MW," said the informant briefly on their social media, accompanying their post with a screenshot from the Electric Company of Matanzas and a photograph of the city in darkness.
The publication from the state company reported that the 140 MW "that represent the maximum capacity that can be turned off in the province" were "affected by a generation capacity deficit."
"As soon as system conditions allow, the circuits that have been most affected will be gradually restored," added the Electric Company of Matanzas.
The day before, the Electric Union of Cuba (UNE) indicated that significant power outages would occur due to a deficit in generation capacity, which would cause a shortfall of 1,200 MW. In its report this Saturday, the company acknowledged that its forecasts were once again, as almost always, below reality.
The state-owned company led by Alfredo López Valdés also reported on Saturday a new addition to its catalog of misfortunes.
In addition to the usual disruptions in distributed generation due to lack of fuel, Friday brought another unpleasant piece of news: the lack of fuel also affects three floating power plants, known as "Turkish barges."
The "problems with fuel supply" have left the Turkish tankers anchored at Mariel and in the bay of Santiago de Cuba dry, while the one located in the bay of Havana is still operating at minimal capacity for the same reason.
It is not the first time that Turkey's floating power plants have run out of fuel for electricity generation in Cuba. In April, the UNE reported problems with the fuel supply for the barges in Moa, Holguín, and Santiago de Cuba.
Despite having them restricted, the comments on Solís's Facebook revealed the mood prevailing among the people of Matanzas after a gloomy day that threatens to repeat itself this Saturday.
"The 200 and so MW from Guiteras are given to the wonderful Havana," said an indignant resident of Matanzas in response to the massive blackouts affecting the city compared to the selective ones in the Cuban capital.
"The circuit 4 has been down since before noon and they still haven't restored the power. There are no words to describe the helplessness and contempt I feel towards those responsible for ensuring a decent life. What a shame; such a beautiful island and so messed up!" exclaimed another Cuban internet user.
"I'm waiting for your meme about the minister, who said we were going to improve with the arrival of fuel... and things got worse. A cyclone passes that doesn't hit Cuba and Matanzas shows solidarity and goes into blackout. And journalism? Nothing, as always: eat and be quiet," criticized a user to Solís in the comments.
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