The Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) in Matanzas has taken control of the electrical load dispatch operation in the province, aiming to correct the imbalance in the distribution of power outages.
The measure, revealed by the official journalist José Miguel Solís, responds to the ongoing citizen complaints about the lack of fairness in the scheduling of power outages, a situation that has generated social discontent in various regions of the country.
“It is possible to improve the information and rotation of circuits, that is, to prevent some from being more extensive than others, a situation in which the Party in Matanzas has taken actions to control the operation of the load dispatch,” revealed Solís on his social media, thereby confirming the testimony of thousands of users who complain about an unequal distribution of blackout hours.
In recent months, complaints from residents in provinces such as Matanzas, Holguín, Camagüey, and Ciego de Ávila have surged across official media and social networks, where daily blackouts exceed, in some cases, 20 hours.
In contrast, users report that in other regions, especially in Havana, outages are less frequent and shorter. Comments on the informational posts from the Unión Eléctrica (UNE) on Facebook are filled with complaints in this regard.
“The 200-something megawatts from Guiteras are gifted to the wonderful Havana”, wrote a user from Matanzas in the comments section of an article published by CiberCuba on September 28, which reported that almost the entire city of Matanzas had been left in darkness since the afternoon, without any public explanation or transparent planning.
Similar claims have been reported in other provinces. In Holguín, for example, residents of rural areas have reported blackouts that last throughout the night, while urban centers receive electricity more consistently.
In Camagüey, citizens accused local authorities of keeping some circuits almost unaffected, supposedly for political reasons or connections with government institutions. "The blackout is a matter of opinion", responded the Electric Company to the users who were protesting in that province.
In April, a note published by this outlet reflected how the population of the province of Ciego de Ávila was expressing outrage over the lack of equitable rotation of power outages, stating that some communities went without electricity for up to 18 continuous hours, while others experienced only sporadic outages.
In light of this situation, the PCC's decision in Matanzas to intervene in the cargo dispatch appears to be a propaganda maneuver aimed at curbing social discontent and improving the perception of justice in the management of power outages.
However, the measure also reflects the growing politicization of a technical crisis that directly affects the quality of life of millions of Cubans.
The lack of transparency in the management of the national electric system, the absence of accurate and up-to-date information about the schedule of power outages, and the widespread perception of favoritism towards certain regions continue to fuel social discontent amidst an energy crisis with no short-term solutions.
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