"Congratulations to the people of Havana": Cubans unleash their indignation following the synchronization of the Guiteras

The announcement from the Electric Union (UNE) that the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Plant was once again synchronizing with the National Electric System did not bring relief but rather a wave of skepticism, mockery, and demands from exhausted Cubans after years of prolonged blackouts, undefined schedules, and a lack of hope for improvement.

“Guiteras online with the SEN,” the UNE reported succinctly. However, for thousands of users, that phrase did not signify any tangible difference in their lives. On the contrary, it exacerbated the discontent of users who feel disregarded and manipulated by the leaders of the Cuban regime and the government's "communicative" strategies under Miguel Díaz-Canel.

Social media, especially the comments section of the state's Facebook page, has become a platform where the people expressed their exhaustion, anger, and hopelessness in the face of a system they perceive as increasingly unjust and unsustainable.

Synchronization without effects

The Matanzas thermoelectric plant, one of the most important in the country, has been plagued by technical failures in recent months.

News of its operational start-up occurs frequently, but most of the time, it has a fleeting effect. Just in the last two weeks, the plant has come online and gone offline from the SEN several times, due to issues with the boiler, leaks, unscheduled maintenance, and unforeseen circumstances.

This last synchronization, reported on Saturday, May 25th in the afternoon, was no different.

Complaints about power outages lasting between 15 and 22 hours continued to pour in from all provinces across the country: Camagüey, Las Tunas, Cienfuegos, Holguín, Granma, Pinar del Río, Matanzas, and even from peripheral neighborhoods of Havana.

“It's online, but we're still in blackout”, was one of the most repeated phrases.

A town in a state of exhaustion

Many citizens, with a tone that oscillates between irony and despair, recounted how they spend whole days without electricity, which impacts not only their rest but also food preservation, water supply, cooking, and even the health of sick or elderly individuals.

"The salary is not enough, and the little one manages to get goes to waste without a refrigerator", lamented a user. Others highlighted the impossibility of pumping water in buildings, the impact on children's schooling, and the difficulty of sleeping due to the heat and mosquitoes.

Uncertainty is one of the factors that generates the most despair. Without an official and reliable schedule for power outages, the population feels like they are living in the dark, with no possibility for planning.

“This is worse than the special period because at least back then we knew when there would be power”, several users commented, demanding the restoration of fixed and public schedules.

Outrageous Inequality

One of the most common complaints was the perception that Havana receives preferential treatment in electricity distribution.

Several users agreed that the megawatts generated by Guiteras do not stay in Matanzas, their province, but are diverted to the capital to maintain "the appearance of normality" or to protect strategic areas.

While the residents of Matanzas report enduring over 15 consecutive hours without electricity, with outages even in areas close to the thermal power plant, the people in the capital, according to multiple testimonies, experience shorter scheduled outages or even enjoy uninterrupted service in certain areas.

This situation fuels a sentiment of territorial discrimination. Phrases like "La Guiteras works for Havana" or "Matanzas provides the plant, but not the electricity" encapsulate a perception of injustice that is no longer limited to mere complaints, but approaches political indignation.

Official inaction and despair

Despite the complaints, the institutional response remains limited. Beyond brief daily reports on deficits and generation capacity, there are no clear explanations or short-term structural solutions.

Citizens are demanding not only better management and planning but also concrete alternatives: real maintenance or construction of new facilities, and accountability from managers. However, the state’s response has been consistent: silence, propaganda, or temporary measures with no real impact.

“This has gotten out of their hands”, wrote someone. And there were those who, out of frustration, even demanded that they “hand over the country” due to their inability to solve such a basic problem as the electricity supply.

Ten representative comments of popular sentiment

1. "If it is online with the SEN, then the SEN is disconnected from the people."
2. "We've been without power for 20 hours, and they say the Guiteras is running... For whom?"
3. "From the rooftop, I see the chimney puffing smoke, but in my house, there are candles."
4. "This is not a technical issue; it is a planned disrespect."
5. "There isn't even firewood to cook; this has become unsustainable."
6. "Let them publish in which province that current is felt, because here we only feel the heat."
7. "Neither a flicker nor a blackout, this is an energy abyss."
8. “At this rate, the Guiteras will only be good for a photo op.”
9. "Havana sleeps with air, the rest of the country with mosquitoes and tears."
10. "More than electrical synchronization, we need synchronization with the reality of the people."