Canal Caribe broadcasted this Tuesday the official explanation from the Electric Union (UNE) regarding the fifth total disconnection of the National Electroenergetic System (SEN) so far in 2026, and the reaction from Cubans on social media was an avalanche of indignation, dark humor, and collective exhaustion in response to what many are already describing as an unbearable routine.
The collapse occurred on Monday at 11:05 AM, when the shutdown of Unit 1 of the Felton thermoelectric plant in Holguín caused critical frequency oscillations that triggered a cascading failure throughout the entire network. It was the third total collapse in just eight days, following the collapses on July 6 and July 10.
Journalist Bernardo Espinosa and engineer Lázaro Guerra Hernández, the usual faces of the UNE during each crisis, once again appeared on screen with the same explanations as always. The post by Canal Caribe on Facebook received hundreds of comments that reflect how much the Cuban people have lost all faith in those appearances.
"It's a shame what they give," wrote a user, capturing the sentiment of the majority. Another person pointed out the central paradox of the moment: "With what electricity are they broadcasting the news, especially since no one could watch it?"
The duo of spokespeople became the target of ridicule: "This duo has become more popular than the Dúo Dinámico in their time, but this one is called Bernardo and Lázaro," joked one commentator. Another added: "Bernardo is the only journalist who isn't going to lose his job in Cuba. Draw your own conclusions."
The word "protocol," repeated by the authorities to describe the reconnection procedures, was mercilessly ridiculed: "The protocols, the protototos, the protitutos, and the protoculos, all active since the protosaurs, we already know it, don't wear yourself out."
Many pointed out what they consider the truth that the regime refuses to admit: "What they lack is oil. Stop with the lies." Others highlighted the absurdity of the situation with phrases like "Everything is collapsing, except for what should be collapsing" or "Legend has it they were never connected."
The accumulated fatigue was reflected in comments such as "Two hours of recovery every 40 hours without electricity. It's truly laughable" and "To provide this information going forward, they just need to change the time; the rest of the script will always be the same."
A Cuban from Holguín described her specific reality: she had electricity between three and six-thirty in the morning, and then again at nine forty-eight in the evening, nine hours after the outage. "It's almost embarrassing to hear the same bad news every day," she wrote.
The underlying technical picture of that despair is devastating. Before the collapse, the UNE projected a deficit of between 1,990 and 2,020 megawatts, with only 1,155 megawatts available against a demand of 3,150. In July 2026, daily blackouts average between 20 and 24 hours, with some areas experiencing over 72 consecutive hours in the dark.
The Minister of Energy and Mines Vicente de la O Levy denied human errors and attributed the crisis to fuel shortages and sanctions from the Trump administration. “We say it again: there is a complete lack of fuel and we do not have access to spare parts for our thermoelectric units,” he stated, according to the state-run media Cubadebate.
Cubans, however, have been listening to variations of the same speech for years. "Protocols, plans, projects, blah, blah, blah, my friend, the people can't take it anymore. What system are they talking about? It's total chaos," summarized a commentator the prevailing sentiment.
The Cuban Conflict Observatory recorded 107 protests in June 2026, a historic record, nearly double the previous maximum, with Havana leading with 82 of those demonstrations. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero promised to restore the SEN "as quickly as possible," without specifying when electricity will return to Cuban homes.
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