The Cienfuegos Electric Company published a reel on Facebook this weekend showing a group of neighbors—mostly women and girls—clapping and celebrating in the street for the linemen of the José González Guerra Contingent.
The publication does not specify what specific work the linemen carried out in that area, although the context suggests the installation or repair of some transformer.
The official text accompanying the video states: "Our linemen bring hope to the communities. All our admiration and pride for a team that dedicates itself to every task assigned."
The video of the bombochíe at the Electric Company has accumulated over 10,700 views and sparked a torrent of ironic comments that contrasted with the triumphant tone of the state-owned company.
"Surely their joy faded after 4 hours and they returned to 60 hours of punishment," wrote one user. Another was more direct: "The medal for blackouts." A third summarized the situation: "Misery, hunger, and a lot of joy."
The sharpest irony came from those who are experiencing the crisis firsthand. "None of those officials live in Circuit 3; we have been without power for over 24 hours," a neighbor reported. Another asked bluntly, "What are they celebrating, that here in Cienfuegos the blackouts last 50 or 60 hours and more?"
A resident of Cienfuegos took the opportunity to issue a warning: "Come to circuit 2 and fix the transformer that's about to catch fire; all the oil has drained." Someone else summarized the feelings of many with a striking phrase: "They've been waiting with hope for 67 years."
There were voices that acknowledged the efforts of the workers, albeit with nuances: "In front of that contingent of linemen from our province, I take my hat off to them. Congratulations to all. Now, our leaders need to think about Cienfuegos, not just Havana; here, it is a disaster."
Chronic blackouts and a transformer crisis with no solution
Cienfuegos has been experiencing months of disruptions to its electrical system. At the end of July, a truck struck the Vietnam Substation in Aguada de Pasajeros, leaving over 9,000 customers without service. Unit 4 of the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes thermoelectric plant has gone offline several times throughout the year.
The transformer crisis is another of the most critical factors, not only in the southern city but throughout Cuba. The Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, acknowledged before the National Assembly that there are communities that have gone up to 105 days without electricity due to damage to these equipments.
Regarding the theft of dielectric oil, the minister himself admitted that "the amount of oil that has been stolen from us is almost similar to what we are producing".
In Havana, an average of 25 single-phase transformers are damaged per day, with days exceeding 60 broken units, and there are no spare parts available in the country to repair them.
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