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The electric grid of Sancti Spíritus is going through its worst historical moment, experiencing power outages that exceed 40 and even 50 continuous hours, with service windows lasting barely three hours or less, acknowledged this Saturday the general director of the Electric Company of the territory, Roberto Hernández Rojas.
"We have woken up for several days now with more than 40 hours of outages. The longer the blackout lasts, the greater the overload when the circuit is restored," the executive warned in statements to the station Radio Sancti Spíritus.
He also described the situation as "extremely complex" and attributed it not only to local issues but also to the imbalance in the National Electric Power System (SEN).
This Saturday, the forecast regarding the state of the SEN indicated a deficit of 2,165 MW during peak hours, with only 1,015 MW available against a demand of 3,150 MW, making this weekend yet another critical episode for the entire island.
One of the factors that exacerbates the provincial situation is the so-called "coincidence factor"; when electricity returns after prolonged outages, households simultaneously connect all their appliances, which significantly spikes the demand well above what the circuits can handle.
"In three hours, we aim to accomplish what we normally do in an entire day. Turbines are activated, all the air conditioners are turned on, cooking takes place, laundry is done, ironing is carried out, and equipment is charged. The coincidence factor is practically one: when the power comes on, everything gets connected," Hernández explained.
This dynamic has pushed the circuits to 200% of their nominal capacity, which triggers explosions and fires in transformers and strains the primary circuit conductors themselves.
The province has recorded around 60 damaged transformers so far in 2026, with 14 residential units out of service and no immediate replacement possible, pending national manufacturing and allocation of resources. The Electric Company receives between 90 and 120 outage reports daily.
Cabaiguán is the municipality most severely affected. Unlike the other towns, it operates at a lower voltage because it was never converted to the 13 kV system during the so-called Energy Revolution, which requires sturdier conductors and transformers that the network does not possess. Some communities in the municipality have been experiencing issues since the beginning of the month, the source reported.
"We have had to take actions in record time, such as the new substation in El Naranjal, and divide Circuit 20 to service one half and then the other, because the conductor can no longer handle the entire circuit," the director detailed.
Another serious side effect is the total loss of communications. The municipality of Yaguajay becomes isolated every time the power goes out, as there are no backup batteries in the communication towers.
The company is working to recover its own frequency modulation channels in Fomento, Jatibonico, and Cabaiguán to ensure at least one information channel, the media outlet clarified.
The situation in Sancti Spíritus is similar to what a neighbor from circuit 116 reported on Friday. Ayaini Valdés warned that 70 families had been without electricity for seven days following the explosion of a transformer that the company could not replace due to a lack of spare parts.
"How much longer will the mistreatment and injustice against us continue? Seven days without electricity, where there are children, where there are elderly people, where there are individuals who need electricity," Valdés demanded.
The situation is marked by the worst moment in the history of Cuba's electricity sector. On June 25, Cuba recorded the absolute historical record of an electricity deficit with 2,208 MW of maximum impact, while communities in Matanzas faced up to 85 consecutive hours without power.
In light of this situation, Hernández was unequivocal about the limits of the system: "All electricity is possible, but it requires investments, and today we do not have the necessary resources."
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