As Villa Clara grapples with one of its most severe electrical breakdowns, Susely Morfa González, the First Secretary of the Communist Party in the province, took to X to showcase a nighttime photo of a parts store, promoting what she called an act of solidarity: a free charging station for the community.
The previous day, she had also highlighted the distribution of a traditional stew known as caldosa in vulnerable areas, carried out by the CubaTabaco company.
"Amidst the complex energy situation, solidarity transforms into action: a free charging station available to the community," Morfa stated, using hashtags like #CubaWillOvercome and #VillaClaraForEveryone.
This tweet followed a day after a failure in the 110 kV line at La Lima, Manicaragua, halted operations at the Hanabanilla "Robustiano León" hydroelectric plant, toppling two metal structures.
Damián Jiménez, the technical director of the Villa Clara Electric Company, reported that the province was left with only 44 to 50 MW available, with a mere 49 out of more than 200 circuits operational. This marked the second widespread blackout within a week.
On the same day as the breakdown, Argelio Jesús Abad Vigoa, the deputy minister of Energy, publicly acknowledged that distributed generation—which could potentially provide up to 1,400 MW—was entirely stalled due to a lack of fuel.
Promoting a free charging outlet as a response to a fundamental energy crisis, or celebrating the distribution of stew amidst hunger brought on by economic collapse, aligns with the regime's typical pattern: presenting symbolic gestures as acts of revolutionary solidarity while avoiding any internal criticism of management.
Morfa, who holds a degree in Psychology and has spent 21 years with the Union of Young Communists and the Communist Party of Cuba in Matanzas, officially took office in Villa Clara in December 2025.
In her year-end message, she vowed to prioritize "electro-energy solutions" as a key focus of her administration for 2026.
Understanding Villa Clara's Energy Crisis
What caused the recent energy crisis in Villa Clara?
A failure in the 110 kV line at La Lima, Manicaragua, led to the stoppage of the Hanabanilla hydroelectric plant, significantly reducing available power in the province.
How did the government respond to the energy crisis?
The government promoted a free charging station as a gesture of solidarity and distributed caldosa in vulnerable areas, though critics argue these are symbolic rather than structural solutions.
What is the status of distributed generation in Cuba?
The distributed generation, with a potential of up to 1,400 MW, is completely paralyzed due to a shortage of fuel, as admitted by the deputy minister of Energy.