A truck crashed into an electric substation on Thursday night in Aguada de Pasajeros, Cienfuegos province, causing a blackout that left over 9,000 customers without service and worsened the already complicated energy situation in the municipality.
The accident occurred around 11:00 p.m., approximately one kilometer after the Real Campiña junction, when the vehicle lost control and crashed into the substation of the 1415 line with 33 kilovolts.
Through his Facebook profile, the user Armando Carranza Valladares, explained that there were no reported injuries, harm, or fatalities, while authorities investigate the causes of the incident.
The impact destroyed the six circuits of the line, identified as 40, 42, 43, 44, 70, and 73, leaving 9,026 customers without electricity.
The material damages include fallen poles that need to be replaced, broken insulators, disconnected conductors, and other poles that require straightening.
In addition, the transformer at the substation suffered serious damage, and the spill of dielectric oil complicated recovery efforts.
According to the source, the Basic Electric Organization of Cienfuegos is working to restore the supply through an alternative route while preparing the final repair of the infrastructure.
Carranza warned that the work will be complex due to the need to replace poles, install new insulators, reconnect conductors, and correct other damage caused by the impact.
Local authorities noted that the complete restoration of service will not be immediate due to the resources and specialized techniques required for the work. However, they assured that the teams from the Basic Electric Organization and municipal officials will continue their efforts until the supply is fully restored.
The accident strikes a municipality that was already suffering from a severe electrical crisis. Residents of Aguada de Pasajeros reported blackouts of up to 48 consecutive hours since June, and the community of Real Campiña, precisely the area of the accident, reported weeks ago outages lasting up to three consecutive days and 27 days without potable water.
This Thursday, the Cuban electrical system approached another record of blackouts with an impact of 2,315 MW, close to the historical maximum of 2,341 MW recorded on July 8.
For this Friday, a deficit of 2,160 MW is projected, with a generation availability of only 1,070 MW against a forecasted demand of 3,200 MW, according to the Electric Union.
This is not the first time a traffic accident has worsened the precarious electrical grid in Cuba. In October 2025, a truck collided with a pole in Ranchuelo, Villa Clara province, causing an explosion at the Gran Panel substation and leaving more than 10,000 people without service.
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