Residents from several neighborhoods in Santiago de Cuba reported this Friday that crews from the Electric Company are removing functioning transformers, a practice that has led to protests and demands for explanations from the community.
According to the testimonials collected by journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada, the brigades arrive with trucks and specialized equipment to dismantle transformers even in communities where they are still operational and show no visible damage.
The possibility of losing those devices has led residents from various neighborhoods to take to the streets in an effort to prevent their removal. The neighbors believe that the measure could increase the overload on the networks, exacerbate low voltage issues, and further deteriorate an electrical service that is already facing serious deficiencies.
According to reports, in some cases the tension between residents and the brigades required the intervention of the National Revolutionary Police (PNR), although ultimately the transformers were removed.
The residents also question the fate of the equipment and demand that the authorities explain the technical criteria used to decide which transformers are relocated and to where.
Moreover, they demand to understand why communities that still maintained a relatively stable service end up losing essential infrastructure while other areas receive priority.
The complaints call for a response from the management of the Electric Company of Santiago de Cuba, the Provincial Government, and the authorities of the Communist Party, with the aim of clarifying what happened and investigating a practice that, according to testimonies, is reportedly occurring in different neighborhoods of the city.
Amid the prolonged energy crisis, the lack of official explanations adds to the uncertainty for thousands of families regarding the future of electrical service.
In places like Veguita de Galo, residents have managed to halt the operation three times. A neighborhood resident explained the mechanics of the issue on Facebook.
"Here in Veguita de Galo, they have tried to take him away three times, but the neighborhood has not allowed it... Often, it's to connect him to a vital circuit that is overloaded with houses that they themselves hook up... then, those of us on the adjustable circuits are the ones who suffer the most because the more consumption there is on one side, the more it affects others."
In San Gerónimo, between San Agustín and Barnada, the transformer was removed on Thursday the 16th without anyone being held accountable for it. "Who is responsible for this? In this country, everyone does as they please and nothing happens," wrote a resident of that area.
One of the most revealing testimonies points to possible corruption. A resident reported that in the Pastorita neighborhood, near the buildings of the Ministry of Interior (Minint), the transformer was relocated to Siboney "for a chief." According to the same source, a neighborhood delegation went to the government and succeeded in getting the equipment returned.
The suspicion that the equipment ultimately benefits areas with leaders or those who pay for the service is a recurring theme in the comments.
"Corruption and more corruption," summarized a neighbor. Another pointed out: "They have already seen that the people endure whatever is imposed on them."
Several citizens also point to the complicity of the workers in the sector themselves. "Nowadays, the utility workers are millionaires; they all know how much their services cost on the black market. They do whatever it takes, and I suppose with the consent of their immediate supervisors," wrote a local resident.
This is not the first time something like this has happened in Santiago. In June, residents of the neighborhoods of Carnicería, Trinidad, San Ricardo, and Altamira reported the same pattern and were left without electricity for over four days after their transformers were removed.
The phenomenon is repeating amid the worst energy crisis in Cuba in decades. In June, the Electrical Union acknowledged that there is no physical availability of spare parts in any province in the country, making the transfer of functional equipment the only operational means to address prioritized circuits.
The national plan for 2026 aims to produce 10,000 transformers, but production remains insufficient to meet the accumulated demand.
This Friday, in the Calabazar neighborhood of the Boyeros municipality in the capital, neighbors caught linemen who were allegedly selling electricity from the neighborhood illegally, with bundles of cash and boxes of beer, in an incident that illustrates the extent of corruption permeating the Cuban electrical system.
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