The province of Holguín has recorded 28 thefts of dielectric oil from transformers so far this year, a practice that electrical authorities deem increasingly common and which is already impacting all municipalities in the area.
Eduardo Felipe Gutiérrez Estrada, chief security and protection specialist at the Electric Company of Holguín, described the phenomenon as "a kind of epidemic spread throughout the country, with apparent impunity, given the slow pace of judicial processes," in a report published this Saturday in the print edition of the official newspaper ¡Ahora! which was featured on the page on Facebook of the respective company.
The municipalities with the highest number of cases are Moa, with seven; Mayarí, with six; and Urbano Noris and Cueto, with four each. According to the official, the perpetrators often operate in remote areas of the towns, although no territory in the province is exempt from such incidents.
The impact on communities can be significant. In Moa, 3,000 liters of oil were stolen from a substation, an event that left around 2,000 people without electricity. In Levisa, a municipality of Mayarí, the theft of oil from a transformer also affected residents of Nicaro and Cabonico.
In June, a similar incident left 69 homes in the Las Torres neighborhood of Urbano Noris without electricity. Earlier, the transformers at the Farallones substation were affected in May, and those at Moa Nueva in March.
Dielectric oil plays essential roles in the operation of transformers, as it helps to insulate electrical components and cool the equipment.
The extraction of the fluid can cause overheating, damage to the coils, and irreversible failure of the transformer, according to the report.
The scope of the problem extends beyond Holguín. At the end of July, the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, acknowledged before the National Assembly that the theft of dielectric oil occurs "daily" and that the amount stolen is "almost equivalent" to what Cuba produces during the same period.
In Holguín, the Provincial Prosecutor's Office confirmed that crimes against the infrastructure of the National Electric System have increased, primarily due to the theft of dielectric oil.
Reynaldo Castellanos Pérez, chief prosecutor of the Criminal Proceedings Department, stated that these cases are handled with the utmost severity as stipulated in the Penal Code.
The extraction of oil from transformers is classified as sabotage under Article 125 of the Penal Code. According to information provided by the Prosecutor's Office, penalties can range from seven to 15 years in prison, and may reach up to 30 years or life imprisonment when there are aggravating circumstances.
Castellanos further explained that 100% of the individuals tested for involvement in these events are subjected to provisional imprisonment as a precautionary measure.
When there are elements of violence against custodians, cases can be prosecuted as robbery with violence, with penalties ranging from 15 to 30 years or life imprisonment.
Despite the announced severity, the official report itself acknowledged a contradiction that is hard to ignore. The text points out that the slow pace of judicial processes creates "the illusion of impunity," a situation that can encourage new crimes and fuel the population's sense of powerlessness and the discrediting of the institutions responsible for combating them.
Authorities have implemented measures such as repairing perimeter fences, installing locks, sealing valves, and increasing patrols and inspections at substations. They are also calling for greater involvement from community organizations to reject these incidents.
The problem becomes more serious in an electrical system that is already facing a severe shortage of equipment. When a transformer is rendered unusable due to oil extraction, its replacement does not solely depend on replenishing the fluid, and the lack of spare parts inventory can prolong the impact on communities.
This Saturday, the Electric Company of Granma admitted that workers from the electric sector are involved in the thefts, which worsens the scope of the phenomenon.
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