Neighborhoods in Ciego de Ávila have been without electricity for over ten days due to damaged transformers that the Electric Company cannot replace due to a lack of spare parts, a situation for which the authorities cannot even provide a date for resolution.
Carlos Luis Arencibia Fernández, technical director of the provincial Electric Company, acknowledged the seriousness of the problem in an interview published by the Invasor newspaper.
"Today, in the municipality, we have areas that have been without service for more than 10 days due to damaged transformers," he admitted. Among the affected communities, he mentioned La Piñera and Serafín Sánchez Cuarta.
The problem is that there are no teams to replace the damaged ones. "We don't have damaged transformers in the province, practically in the entire country," he explained.
Arencibia ruled out that the delays are due to a lack of workers or fuel. "The main cause of the delay is primarily related to the issue of resources (...) it is the physical resource of the damaged element," he stated.
The company is trying to recover transformers in its provincial workshop, but until one becomes available, it cannot tell families when electricity will be restored.
More than 100 daily breakdowns and the capacity to handle only 75
The very dynamics of the blackouts are exacerbating the deterioration of the network.
According to Arencibia, when a circuit restores service after long hours without electricity, thousands of users simultaneously connect appliances and begin charging batteries and other backup systems.
The result is significant overloads that ultimately damage transformers, conductors, and service connections.
In addition, there is an overwhelming response capacity. Every day, more than 100 reports of outages are received through the number 1888, but the crews can only address between 55 and 75.
"In the hour and a half that the X circuit has, there isn't enough time to cover all the interruptions in that area. That's why sometimes they pile up and can take days," he acknowledged.
Energy barely for hospitals and water pumping
The situation becomes even more complicated due to the enormous generation deficit. The available electricity barely allows for the maintenance of essential services such as hospitals and water supply sources, according to the official.
"We are working on a maximum power outage in the province that barely allows us to maintain services: hospitals, water supply, and what remains to rotate one or two circuits in the 10 municipalities of the province. That's how it is," said the technical director.
The shortage of transformers is not exclusive to Ciego de Ávila. In June, the Electric Union acknowledged the lack of physical availability of these units in the provinces.
The Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, also acknowledged before the National Assembly that there are Cuban communities that have gone up to 105 consecutive days without electricity due to faulty transformers.
Ciego de Ávila has been among the most affected regions by the energy crisis for months. Since November 2025, reports indicate power outages exceeding 20 hours per day, a situation that leaves families caught between scheduled blackouts and breakdowns that can last for days without any projected resolution.
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