The Writing of 14ymedio dawned dark for the second day in a row this Thursday. From the windows of the 14th floor of the building, small areas of the municipalities of Cerro and Old Havana can be seen lit up, but none in Playa and El Vedado.
Taking advantage of the darkness, some state workers were rushing this Wednesday to remove the sign that appeared on a facade of Prado and Neptuno that read “Díaz-Canel, singao.” A few kilometers away, the tower of the Plaza de la Revolución is lit up.
The lights are turned on little by little in the areas that have a hospital nearby, classified as priority by the Government. Precisely, the first publication of the morning made by the Electric Union of Cuba (UNE) on its social networks shows several workers lifting a pole next to a hospital in Pinar del Río.
Precisely, the first publication of the morning made by the Electric Union of Cuba (UNE) on its social networks shows several workers lifting a pole next to a hospital in Pinar del Río
The situation of the National Electric System continues to be precarious. According to the last part provided by the UNE, the east of the country is beginning to improve with the start-up of block 1 of the Felton thermoelectric plant and block 6 of the Nuevitas plant. In the western area, progress is being made with the restart of the Mariel, Tallapiedra and Santa Cruz plants, while hundreds of brigades from different provinces are working to repair the damaged lines.
The activation of the Matanzas power plant has allowed electricity to continue to reach the provinces of Holguín and Las Tunas to a greater extent, and Camagüey and Santiago in a less generalized way, although not with 100% coverage, says the UNE. In the current situation, the forecast is that, once the operation of the eastern and western regions has been achieved, once the circuits have been certified, the interconnection can begin moving towards the center of the Island and be able to link the entire national network in the course of of the day
But the UNE warns. Subsequently, load generation balances must be made to see how much and how it is distributed. “Before Ian we did not have generation capacity and that has not changed. We have to analyze the coverage, which will not be 100% when it is restored,” they warned.
The experiences that come through social networks speak for themselves. The precariousness of the infrastructure, after Ian’s onslaught, has left the national electricity system at a minimum and citizens no longer know if the light does not return due to the collapse of the network or because it is their blackout ration.
A Camagüeyan woman from La Vigía affirmed that they spent 30 hours without power and finally, at dawn, they received two hours of light, but it went out again and they already exceeded five hours in the dark. In the same province, in the town of Minas, customers complain that they have been without power for 48 hours.
The nuisance reaches Holguín, where the population exploded last night in a cacerolazo. “We were in my area for more than 30 hours without power,” a woman from Holguin tells 14ymedio. “I heard the neighborhood across from mine as they played the pots. It was heard far away. A while later they fell silent. I don’t know where the protests were, but in my part the pots were many,” he says.
“Before Ian we did not have generation capacity and that has not changed. We have to analyze the coverage, which will not be 100%”
The protest began around 8 at night, but most of the neighbors could not record it due to lack of charge on their mobiles. Despite everything, some videos reached social networks. “Then we saw a patrol and motors go by,” continues the Holguín resident, who lives near a hospital and around 9:30 in the morning she has seen how the power finally reached her. “I don’t know how long it will last,” she says resignedly.
Despite not being one of the provinces hit by the hurricane, some Holguin residents say they have spent more than 35 hours without electricity until this morning they began to receive it. “What is happening on the Island is really distressing, with the fear that the little piece of meat that you do not eat will spoil and leave it for the children. Everything is very, very sad, and without hope,” he lamented. another neighbor.
In Jagüey and Jatibonico, both in Sancti Spíritus, they have risen again without receiving even an iota of current. The same in Placetas, Villa Clara, or Quivicán, in Mayabeque. Even from Santiago de Cuba, which this time has been spared the storm, there are complaints from UNE clients who have been without electricity since early Tuesday morning.
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