The Granma Electric Company acknowledged that employees within the electric sector are involved in the theft of dielectric oil and the removal of components from photovoltaic installations, during a meeting called to declare "zero tolerance" for crimes that impact the National Electro-Energetic System (SEN) in the province.
The meeting, chaired by the general director of the entity, Geider Mompié Rodríguez, and the director of Organization and Systems, Henry Silvera Cabrera, brought together all business units and functional departments of the company, reported the broadcaster Radio Bayamo on Thursday.
According to the company's management, the theft of dielectric oil and the removal of components at photovoltaic sites are the most serious issues facing the sector in Granma.
The most revealing aspect was the admission that some of these crimes involve employees of the entity. "It is painful and absolutely condemnable that, in some of these events, a direct involvement of workers from within the sector has been identified," the source emphasized.
The company announced that it is working in coordination with the Attorney General's office, the courts, and oversight and auditing bodies to sanction those responsible, applying "the full severity of the law."
The analysis focused on new preventive measures from grassroots entities, strengthening control mechanisms, and ensuring total transparency in internal processes, according to the report from the broadcaster.
Granma has accumulated a long string of thefts from the electrical system. At the beginning of this month, two men were arrested after breaking into the Las Villegas Photovoltaic Park, located in La Nenita, in the municipality of Guisa, and stealing 20 metal beams from the support structure of the solar panels.
In April, the theft of dielectric oil in the community of Julia, in the municipality of Bayamo, left nearly 20,000 people without electricity for four days.
In September 2025, unofficial sources announced the capture of the thieves involved in the theft of more than 50 panels and beams from the Juan Pérez II Photovoltaic Park in Niquero.
The phenomenon is not limited to Granma. A few days ago, authorities in the province of Mayabeque dismantled a gang of six individuals involved in the theft of dielectric oil in Güines and Melena del Sur, which operated with a high degree of planning and technical knowledge.
Additionally, the Municipal People's Tribunal of Contramaestre sentenced a man to 12 years in prison for stealing 120 liters of dielectric oil, which left more than 2,000 people without electricity for 48 hours.
Dielectric oil is being resold on the black market as a lubricant or substitute fuel for agricultural machinery, with prices ranging from 500 to over 1,000 Cuban pesos per liter, making it a highly sought-after product in the context of fuel shortages.
The current legal framework, the Opinion 475/2025 from the People's Supreme Court, classifies these acts as sabotage, carrying penalties ranging from seven to 30 years, life imprisonment, or the death penalty in aggravated cases.
Nonetheless, the thefts continue. At the end of July, the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, acknowledged before the National Assembly that the oil theft occurs "daily" and that the volume stolen is "almost similar" to what Cuba produces in the same period, with communities having remained without electricity for up to 105 days due to damage to transformers that are impossible to replace.
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