The Electric Company of Havana (EELH) announced the installation of chemical traps in substations to identify those who steal dielectric oil from transformers, thus joining a strategy that is already being implemented in other provinces of the country.
The text, published on the official company profile on Facebook, is brief but to the point: “The Electric Company of Havana protects its substations by implementing CHEMICAL TRAPS that allow for the identification of individuals involved in potential crimes of stealing dielectric oil belonging to the transformers.”
How do traps work?
The EELH did not specify the exact mechanism, but the method had already been described when authorities from Jobabo, in Las Tunas, applied it to photovoltaic installations just two days before the announcement made in the capital.
The journalist Yaidel Miguel Rodríguez Castro from Radio Cabaniguán explained the process: "It is a chemical that adheres to the skin, not visible to the naked eye, but when exposed to ultraviolet light, the contact marks become visible."
In response to those who suggested that simply wearing gloves would circumvent the measure, the journalist replied: "There lies the naivety, thinking that gloves are a barrier."
A strategy that extends across the entire country
The capital is not a pioneer in implementing this measure. In May, Las Tunas had already announced the use of chemical traps in cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior after reporting 11 thefts of dielectric oil and transformer parts.
The invisible method applied against solar panel theft in Jobabo has confirmed that the strategy now encompasses the entire energy infrastructure of the country, from transformers to photovoltaic installations.
The citizens' reaction: irony and accumulated grievances
The publication of the EELH generated a mix of skepticism, irony, and accumulated frustration in the comments.
Several users joked that the public notice is equivalent to alerting the thieves themselves: "And they've just been notified to go with gloves," wrote one of them.
Others took the opportunity to demand the repair of substations that have been inactive for months: the Apolo has been out of service since June 3, and the one supplying Las Minas, La Gallega, and Arango has been non-operational since July 22, with no solution in sight.
A user also pointed out a contradiction that many share: "But they don't set traps for those who steal electricity and sell it."
The statement reflects a more complex reality: while the regime tightens measures against infrastructure theft, the electricity crisis remains unresolved. This Wednesday, Cuba recorded a demand of 2,461 MW with an available generation of only 1,060 MW, and Havana had 129 affected circuits.
Dielectric oil, a treasure with devastating consequences
This fluid serves as electrical insulation and cooling in transformers; when it is extracted, the equipment overheats, experiences short circuits, and becomes inoperable, leaving entire communities without electricity for weeks or months.
Despite this, it has a high demand on the black market, where it is resold as a lubricant or substitute fuel for tractors at up to 500 Cuban pesos per liter, in a context of extreme fuel shortages.
The Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, acknowledged before the National Assembly that the volume of stolen oil is "almost similar" to the amount produced during the same period, and that some settlements have remained without electricity for up to 105 days due to damage to transformers that are hard to replace.
Legal framework: from theft to sabotage
The ruling 475 of the People's Supreme Court unified the legal classification of these robberies as sabotage, with penalties ranging from seven to 30 years in prison, life imprisonment, or the death penalty in the most severe cases.
According to the Attorney General's Office of the Republic, between 2025 and the first half of 2026, over 460 criminal investigations were opened for crimes against the National Electric System, more than 300 of which were for the theft of dielectric oil, detected in all provinces and in 97 municipalities.
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