The Manufactured Gas Company of Havana announced this Friday new partial or total outages in several areas of the capital due to a decrease in the supply of natural gas, a situation that has sparked criticism from users tired of the interruptions.
The official statement, shared through the Provincial Government's Facebook profile, did not specify the affected municipalities or provide a timeline for service recovery. The company only reported on the low pressure levels that would be observed throughout the day in its production plants.
As is customary in this type of communication, the company expressed regret for the inconvenience that such a situation may cause to its customers.
Reactions to the official statement reflected consumer exhaustion. "Without electricity, without water, and without gas, this is hell on Earth," wrote one person. Another questioned why several state-owned companies face issues simultaneously and commented that Etecsa, Aguas de La Habana, and Gas Manufacturado "all seem to be in agreement."
Users in Centro Habana and La Habana Vieja also reported experiencing pressure problems since the day before. "In La Habana Vieja, there is no water; it's so low that it shuts off. We turn it on, and it shuts off again," complained a resident.
Another citizen summarized the discomfort with a complaint directed at the authorities. "It's not just inconvenience they cause, it's stress, it's discomfort. Provide reasons and let us know how long this will last," she wrote.
Havanans have been facing interruptions for months. In August, a breakdown at the Canasí collecting center left seven municipalities without gas and triggered a pot-banging protest in Plaza de la Revolución. In September, new outages due to insufficient natural gas, along with a malfunction in the gas pipeline once again affected the capital.
The manufactured gas network serves approximately 208,000 residential customers across eight municipalities. Its importance is particularly notable during power outages, as it operates through underground pipelines independent of the electrical supply and provides an alternative for cooking in many households.
However, the continuity of the service contrasts with the increase in rates approved in July through Resolution 156/2026 from the Ministry of Finance and Prices. The regulation raised the price per cubic meter from 2.50 to 4.97 Cuban pesos, nearly doubling it, resulting in a monthly bill of 298.20 CUP for a family of three to five people.
The difficulties with gas are adding to the problems with electricity generation. The Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric power plant in Matanzas was disconnected from the National Electric System on November 11 due to a malfunction in its boiler economizer, marking its 28th outage this year. According to technical estimates, it could start up again on Monday. The Ernesto Che Guevara thermoelectric power plant in Santa Cruz del Norte also remains out of service.
The lack of alternatives exacerbates the situation. Liquefied gas has been suspended in the eastern provinces since January and can only be found in isolated locations in the country, with prices exceeding 80 dollars per cylinder.
Charcoal, another option for cooking, can cost between 3,200 and 5,000 pesos per bag, compared to an official average salary of 7,354 pesos.
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