Residents of Contramaestre, in Santiago de Cuba, reported the precarious state of the electricity service and demanded answers from the Electric Company regarding blackouts lasting up to 40 hours, unstable voltage, and damage to household appliances.
The report, shared this Friday on Facebook by content creator Arnoldo Fernández, collects dozens of comments from residents of various circuits and locations in the province describing similar issues with the electricity supply.
The testimonies question the conditions under which the service is restored after long interruptions and the risk it poses to household appliances.
"With what sacrifice do families purchase their refrigerators, televisions, fans, air conditioners, and other appliances? With years of effort, deprivations, and hard work. And now we also have to live with the fear that they will be damaged due to deficiencies in the electrical service?" asked the whistleblower.
One resident reported that since May, they have been receiving only two hours of electricity in poor condition, following outages that sometimes last up to 40 hours. She also described the difficulties in getting rest and the impact on children who have to attend school with hot snacks.
In Circuit Seven of the city, another resident reported 24 hours without electricity and explained that, five minutes after it was restored, one phase failed, and the active one operated at low voltage.
In Lumumba, a resident stated that one phase has been out of service for a week and that several homes remain in the dark. According to their account, they have also been unable to report the outage because the customer service number 18888 is out of service.
In Baire, residents reported that for the past four days, electricity arrives after midnight and with such low voltage that it makes it difficult to rest.
The impacts also extend to household goods. One citizen stated that the voltage instability damaged their refrigerator and lamented that there is no one to hold accountable. Other residents described days when they have to cook with firewood or charcoal, wash their clothes at dawn, and remain without lighting for a large part of the day.
"We are not asking for privileges or luxuries. We are demanding a dignified electricity service, with transparent information, attention to complaints, and concrete measures to protect the population," concluded Fernández.
The issues are consistent with the limitations of electricity generation in the province. This Saturday, the Antonio Maceo thermoelectric plant, the only facility of its kind in Santiago de Cuba, had its units three and six out of service due to a malfunction and unit five under maintenance, according to the Blackout Observatory.
At the national level, the Electric Power System recorded a supply of only 915 MW against a demand exceeding 2,800 MW, with more than 1,177 MW impacted.
Contramaestre has been a scene of spontaneous protests and pot-banging in June and July due to power outages lasting up to 40 hours. The discontent arose in a context where the Electric Company reorganized outages in nine residential blocks, with scheduled interruptions of up to 22 consecutive hours.
In May, the company's managing director acknowledged that the actual service ranged between one hour and 30 minutes and one hour and 45 minutes, below the promised two hours.
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