The province of Santiago de Cuba, one of the hardest hit following the collapse of the National Electric System (SEN) last Friday, warned its customers on Monday that reconnecting high-consumption equipment when service is restored could lead to another failure in the system.
The announcement was made by the Electric Company via the Telegram platform, but it is naive to assume that people will follow this recommendation when thousands of families have been without electricity for over 72 hours, facing the despair of watching the few food items they managed to store in their refrigerators spoil.
"The UNE requests all customers to please refrain from connecting high-consumption equipment as long as they are receiving electrical service," the statement indicated.
Additionally, the Electric Company emphasized that it is crucial not to overload the system, as a sudden increase in consumption could destabilize it again and lead to further blackouts in the region, placing the responsibility on the population for the uncertain "future" of service restoration in the province of Santiago de Cuba.
The situation is becoming increasingly serious as thousands of families lack gas or charcoal to cook. As soon as they receive service at home, they will attempt to save the few food items they still have, using pots, stoves, and refrigeration.
This Sunday, just hours after excitedly announcing the launch of Generation Unit No. 3 of the Antonio Maceo Thermal Power Plant, also known as Rente, in Santiago de Cuba, the situation took an unexpected turn.
The power plant, which was in the process of increasing its load for subsequent synchronization, suffered a malfunction that led to a system failure. As a result, a microsystem linking the provinces of Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo went down, leaving them without electric service.
The third night of total blackout in Cuba was marked by new protests in cities across the country, as well as threats of violent repression from the regime.
Images of a significant police presence in Santiago de Cuba confirm the tension that hangs in the air during these dark hours.
A video shared on social media by independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada showed the deployment of several patrols from the National Revolutionary Police (PNR) throughout the streets of the city.
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