Residents of Old Havana reported on social media that repeated blackouts are irreversibly damaging the underground electrical system in that area of the Cuban capital, an infrastructure that has been considered historically too fragile to be disconnected for decades.
The public alarm was raised following a post on the Facebook channel of the Electric Company of Havana by the user Gelkis Ortiz, who warned that "they are destroying the underground infrastructure of Old Havana."
He explained that "every day they extend the time, whether due to emergencies, gunfire, or whatever comes to their minds; the worst part is that they are destroying an infrastructure that they won’t be able to recover, and at any moment they won't be able to turn it back on."
At the same time, he shared two images as evidence showing the electrical register located at the intersection of Lamparilla and Villegas streets, "burned out and, as you can see, already considered trash," referring to the mountain of waste accumulated around it.
"They know that the undergrounds of Old Havana and Centro Habana are very old and in very poor condition, and they keep shutting them down; the collateral damage becomes more severe, damages that they have no way to repair anymore. We could all explode at any moment," wrote a resident among the dozens of comments sparked by the post.
The biggest concern for the neighbors is the combination of deteriorated electrical cables with underground gas pipes.
"The problem will arise when a spark from the underground connects with one of the many gas leaks that are also buried," warned another commentator, while a third summarized the collective fear in a brief phrase: "At any moment, we're going to blow up."
Many residents recalled that Eusebio Leal (1942-2020), Historian of Havana, warned about this risk.
"Eusebio Leal said one day in 2020... that gentleman stated in a meeting that the underground was untouchable, not because he didn't want to turn it off, but due to the infrastructure. But well, Leal is no longer with us, so let's enjoy. On a global scale, no underground is extinguishable, but at this point, who will bell the cat?" lamented a user in a reflection that links the deterioration of the Historic Center with the unfinished legacy of the historian.
Another neighbor described the neglected state of the electrical boxes: "Practically all of them are without doors, and most serve as open-air toilets at any time of day... it's incredible that no one has been electrocuted in them yet."
A resident who lives in the Playa municipality but has family in Old Havana summarized the extent of the risk: "We are not talking about poles; we are talking about buried cables, where water and gas flow. Even if they are insulated, just the failure of one of them is a ticking time bomb."
The most frequently mentioned incident in the comments is a fire that occurred beneath the streets of Zanja and Belascoaín in Centro Habana, which was so intense that it melted the pavement.
The impact is not limited to Old Havana and part of Centro Habana; it also occurs somewhat in the Camilo Cienfuegos neighborhood. "Today, some buildings had light while others were dark; one part would be lit up while the other went dark. When they finish tearing it down, I don’t know what they will use to fix it," remarked another resident.
The energy context explains the magnitude of the problem. On July 2nd, the Electric Company disconnected the Underground Zone of Old Havana due to "emergency in national generation," with a deficit that day reaching 2,100 MW.
On July 6, the third national blackout of 2026 occurred, marking the seventh total collapse of the National Electric System in 18 months. This forced the Electric Company of Havana to abandon the block outage management system and rapidly adopt one based on circuits.
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