Theft of solar panels and cables is affecting facilities linked to water supply, telecommunications, and electricity generation in the municipality of Amancio, in Las Tunas, amid rising concerns about crimes against essential infrastructures.
The official Periódico 26 reported this Tuesday a series of incidents against public facilities in the municipality, including the theft of solar panels at pumping stations where an energy matrix change had taken place.
The loss of these panels can compromise the operation of the stations and, in turn, the access to water for entire communities, especially at times when solar energy is being used as an alternative due to the prolonged blackouts affecting the country.
The report also mentions theft of cables belonging to ETECSA, incidents that can leave neighborhoods disconnected and cause difficulties in telephone and telecommunications services.
Another of the affected points was the Punta Brava solar photovoltaic park, where cables were also stolen.
The installation is part of the infrastructure intended for electricity generation, and each component that is removed necessitates allocating new resources for its replacement.
In light of the recurrence of these incidents, the official outlet itself requested to enhance the surveillance of the pumping stations, ETECSA facilities, and the photovoltaic park, as well as to review the security systems, lighting, access control, and alert mechanisms.
The official newspaper admits that thefts are occurring uncontrollably, and the facts corroborate this.
In May, the province had reported at least 11 thefts of insulating oil and transformer components, a series of crimes that had led to prolonged electricity service interruptions and forced authorities to reinforce fences, install solar lighting, and increase security at substations.
In April, Amancio endured one of the most serious episodes.
The theft of 600 liters of dielectric oil from two transformers left 40% of the municipality without electricity, affecting 4,947 customers.
Among the affected facilities were a polyclinic, the Telecommunications Center, and the Alipio Carrillo water pumping station.
Attacks on telecommunications are not a recent phenomenon in the province either.
ETECSA reported 19 acts of vandalism in Las Tunas during 2024, including cable thefts that left 35 telephone lines and six public phones out of service.
In some cases, the criminals even managed to steal the perimeter fences of the facilities.
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