MIAMI, United States. – At noon this Monday, October 21, almost 90% of Havana already had electricity service for the first time since Friday, although much of the country remains without electricity after three complete collapses of the National Electroenergy System (SEN) since that date.
The Electrical Union (UNE) of Cuba indicated, through state media Cubadebatethat in the capital of the Island 769,810 customers (301 circuits), representing 89.3% of the total, already had electricity service.
On its Telegram channel, the UNE asked the population to have “confidence” that there will be no rest “until 100% of Havana residents have electricity service,” he added. However, in another message, he clarified: “We ask the population that currently has service to use electricity saving practices at home.”
The Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, detailed in an interview with the portal of the Presidency of Cuba that the supply in the western zone is being achieved thanks to sources such as Energás Boca de Jaruco, the lakes rented to the Turkish company Karadeniz Holding in the Bay of Havana and the Mariel generation plants.
“Right now, all the Energás units are ready, all synchronized, except one. That allowed us to reach Havana and tear the bay out of the bay; continue through the substations of Havana and reach Mariel; start a Mariel unit of the thermoelectric plant; That unit gave steam to the sites and the swamps; and today we already have the location of Mariel and the synchronized patanas,” explained De la O Levy, according to Cubadebate.
However, he warned that “due to the current conditions of the Western microsystem, it is not possible to make rotations in Havana.” He added: “We are going to stay like this until two or three in the afternoon. There will be a small increase of 1 or 2% more in Havana. After 3:00 in the afternoon there will be a large incorporation, because [la Central Termoeléctrica Antonio] Guiteras and we are going to do it slowly, so as not to incorporate too much load in a violent way.”
The official also reported that the Nuevitas 5 unit has already synchronized, which will improve supply in the eastern region, affected since Sunday night by tropical storm Oscar. “Granma has a better situation, because it has managed to maintain a microisland of generation and reaches more than 40% of customers. Between Nuevitas, Granma, what is being transferred and the land of Santiago de Cuba, the start-up of the Renté and then Felton thermoelectric plants will begin,” he announced.
For its part, Cubadebate reported that in Havana there were still two hospitals without electricity. The state media did not specify which ones they were.
The first total blackout occurred last Friday shortly after 11:00 am, after the “unforeseen” shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Power Plant in Matanzas.
Since then, the NGO Justicia 11J has registered at least 28 minor protests in seven provinces of Cuba. The majority of these demonstrations, a total of 21, occurred in Havana.
In addition to the protests in the capital, seven more were registered in the provinces of Mayabeque, Artemisa, Villa Clara, Sancti Spíritus, Holguín and Santiago de Cuba. To date, Justice 11J has no record of arrests related to these events.
Just this Sunday, the Cuban ruler, Miguel Díaz-Canel, threatened to citizens who protest in the midst of the energy crisis that the country is going through and which worsened last Friday with the “total disconnection” of the National Electroenergy System (SEN).
In the video of a meeting held this Sunday, which was released by the Presidency’s office, Díaz-Canel assured that his government was not going to accept or allow “anyone to act causing vandalism and much less altering the citizen tranquility of our people.” ”.
“That is a conviction and that is a principle of our Revolution,” concluded the ruler, whose “battle array” during the demonstrations of July 11, 2021 It has transcended as a call for civil war between Cubans.
