The "Carlos Manuel de Céspedes" Thermoelectric Plant in Cienfuegos published a poem dedicated to its workers on its official Facebook page this Wednesday, as millions of Cubans continue to face prolonged blackouts due to the severe crisis of the National Electric System.
The text, with a lyrical tone, pays tribute to those who work at the plant and describes them as the individuals who labor “where light is born, where heat transforms into energy, where effort becomes current that travels through the wires to every home.”
The publication concludes with a reflection on family, defined as "the most important light," that which has "the embrace that doesn't need a plug."
The message was shared with the hashtags #UnidosXCuba, #Cienfuegos, and #Cuba, and is accompanied by a "positive" mood along with the Electric Union (UNE).
The poem was shared in a context marked by power outages lasting over 24 hours in numerous areas of the country and a generation deficit that remains above 2,000 megawatts.
On July 10, Cuba recorded a record deficit of 2,341 MW, with an availability of just 935 MW against a demand of 3,100 MW. This Tuesday, the projected impact once again exceeded 2,100 MW, according to official reports from the Electric Union.
Paradoxically, the Cienfuegos Thermoelectric Plant itself has been responsible for some of the breakdowns that have worsened the energy crisis in recent months. On July 9, Unit 4 went out of service due to a failure in the voltage regulator of the generator, while in May 2026, another unexpected outage from that same plant increased the impacts on the National Electric System.
Five national collapses so far in 2026
The electricity crisis has deepened this year. Cuba has experienced at least five nationwide blackouts in 2026. The most recent occurred on July 14, following the shutdown of the Felton 1 unit in Holguín.
Since then, power outages have reportedly lasted more than 30 hours in parts of Havana and up to 87 consecutive hours in some municipalities of Matanzas, according to reports from DW and Infobae.
A message that generated reactions
This is not the first time that an entity in the electricity sector has released optimistic messages amid the energy crisis.
In August 2025, social media users reacted with criticism and mockery to a post by the Unión Eléctrica about the Antonio Guiteras Thermal Power Plant. In June of this year, the Electric Company of Guantánamo released a statement titled "Voices that Illuminate" to highlight the work of its call center, while the province faced power outages of up to 20 hours a day. One day later, a fault in a 110 kV line left much of the region without electricity.
As power outages persist, the Cuban government continues to attribute the crisis to the U.S. embargo. On July 10, Miguel Díaz-Canel called to "better organize the blackouts", without announcing structural measures to reverse the deterioration of the electrical system.
Among the reactions to the poem published by the Cienfuegos Thermoelectric Company, one comment stood out that encapsulated the feelings of some users: "Without energy, there is no developing country; without energy, there is no life."
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