More than a week without electricity in Güines due to an unusual cause

Residents of Calle 72 in the municipality of Güines, in the province of Mayabeque, have been without electricity for over a week following the explosion of a transformer that occurred around noon in front of the NucaY rum factory, according to a report sent to CiberCuba.

The employees of the electric company arrived at the location several hours late following the report, claiming that their vehicle ran out of fuel. Once on site, they attempted to repair the equipment three times, but the transformer exploded each time. After the third unsuccessful attempt, the technicians declared that the equipment was beyond repair.

"They also tell us that there are no transformers in the country, that the country currently does not have transformers. We have to be patient," recounted one of the affected individuals.

The response outraged the neighbors, who have been unable to pump water with the motors for days and have had to rely on the cistern of the NucaY rum factory to supply themselves with buckets and drums. The food has completely spoiled.

"How can they tell us to be patient if we have been without power for over a week, unable to get water, we are nearly out of food, families are exhausted, and the children are not going to school?" the complainant asked.

The element that angers residents the most is the existence of an informal route to solve the problem. According to the complaint, an intermediary allegedly informed them that by paying 100,000 Cuban pesos, the transformer could be provided. The contradiction is evident to those affected.

"How is it that the State tells us we don’t have a transformer, that the country doesn’t have one, yet if we give a hundred thousand pesos, suddenly the transformer appears? I don’t understand. Is there one or isn’t there?" the neighbor questioned.

The electric company has not provided explanations or concrete timelines for a solution. "They don't give us a clear explanation, they tell us nothing, it's total silence, they don't face us," he reported.

The case of Güines is not an isolated one. In the province of Granma, at least 14 damaged transformers were reported as of June 10, and last Thursday, residents of the Micro 2 neighborhood in Santiago de Cuba held pot-banging protests after more than ten days without electricity due to a broken transformer.