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Ten days after Hurricane Melissa struck much of eastern Cuba, over 100,000 customers remain without electricity in Holguín, although 74% of the service has already been restored and the province has reconnected to the National Electroenergetic System (SEN).
Out of a total of 382,410 users, 281,613 now have electricity supply, reported Daviesky Cortina, head of Dispatch at the Holguín Electric Company.
The most significant progress is reported in the municipalities of Moa, Cueto, Rafael Freyre, Holguín, and Antilla, the latter having only 14 customers still without electricity, while Mayarí shows the most critical lag with just 35% recovery, highlighted the official newspaper ¡Ahora!
Repair efforts are focused on areas with the most significant damage, such as Holguín and Gibara, as well as Mayarí, where local brigades, along with contingents from Ciego de Ávila and Mayabeque, are dealing with challenging conditions due to downed poles, damaged transformers, and areas that are still flooded.
In the provincial capital, work is being carried out on the C1, El Coco, Aguas Claras, and Aeropuerto circuits, with priority given to the primary lines, the source indicated.
Cortina emphasized that only the Sagua 2 generator set in the village of El Jobo remains isolated due to the loss of the line caused by the rise of the river.
Additionally, it was stated that the photovoltaic solar parks in the territory were preserved during the hurricane and are in the certification process, except for the one in Pilón (Antilla), which remains in operation.
As a show of interprovincial support, brigades from Holguín were sent to the municipality of Mella in Santiago de Cuba to assist with the electrical recovery following the severe damage caused by Melissa, the media outlet added.
The Electric Company of Holguín reported this Friday that with the recovery of the service blackouts are back due to a generation deficit, with anticipated impacts of 50 megawatts (MW) between 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., divided into two blocks of two hours each.
The official statement requested "understanding" from the public and assured that efforts are being made "continuously to minimize the impact and ensure the stability of the service in the circuits where it has not yet been restored," following the effects of the weather event.
However, citizen unrest grew due to the lack of details.
As the electrical service begins to be restored in the eastern part of the country following the impact of Melissa, the rest of Cuba is facing a deterioration in the energy landscape, with increasingly prolonged blackouts and a generation deficit that is around 1,380 MW for today.
The situation is worsened by the shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant this Saturday, located in Matanzas and regarded as the most important in the country.
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