Residents of the Havana municipality of Marianao staged new citizen protests on Saturday night to demand solutions for the prolonged blackouts that have been burdening them for several days, much like the majority of the Cuban population.
Images and videos shared on social media show residents taking to the streets at night, igniting bonfires with tires and debris on various roads in the municipality while banging pots and pans to express their dissatisfaction with the lack of electricity.
Recordings shared by the profile La Nueva Cuba on Facebook, show groups of people gathered in the darkness caused by power outages, in a scene that reflects the growing social unrest due to the ongoing power cuts.
The protests in Marianao are part of reports of similar actions in other municipalities of Havana, where residents also took to the streets to demand the restoration of electrical service.
During the night of Saturday, pot-banging protests were reported in areas such as Regla, San Miguel del Padrón, Guanabacoa, and Centro Habana, according to videos and testimonies shared on social media.
In some recordings, chants can be heard from neighbors who, in the darkness, bang kitchen utensils to express their frustration over the blackouts.
Journalist Mario J. Pentón also reported on a protest in the Regla municipality, while social media reports mentioned demonstrations in Mulgoba, in Boyeros, and in the El Cotorro municipality.
So far, the Cuban authorities have not made any public statements regarding these events.
The protests are taking place against a backdrop of deep energy crisis in the country. In recent days, Cuba experienced an almost total collapse of the National Electric System (SEN), leaving large areas of the territory without electricity and necessitating the initiation of a complex process to restore the service.
Although the authorities reported that the system was gradually reconnected, the country continues to operate with a high generation deficit.
In numerous provinces, power outages exceed 20 hours a day, according to official reports and testimonies from citizens, impacting household operations, water supply, transportation, and food preservation.
The deterioration of the National Electric System (SEN) is due to a combination of structural factors, including breakdowns in aging thermoelectric plants, lack of maintenance in generation facilities, and fuel shortages that limit the country's ability to produce electricity.
According to the daily report from the Electric Union (UNE), the country is facing a deficit that greatly exceeds the available generation capacity.
For the peak hours of the night, the UNE forecasted an availability of 1,195 MW against an estimated maximum demand of 3,050 MW.
This results in a deficit of 1,855 MW and a forecasted impact of 1,885 MW, figures that suggest widespread blackouts across the nation if the expected conditions persist.
Filed under: