This Wednesday, employees from the Cuban Electric Union (UNE) arrived in the Guantanamo neighborhood of 1 Oeste / Emilio Giró and Crombet to set up two new transformers. This action followed a Facebook complaint highlighting that numerous families had been left in complete darkness for 21 days.
The social media post that prompted this response was authored by Mary Canela Tudela. She vividly described the frustration and urgency felt by the community, which quickly gained traction online: "It's been 21 days since something blew up that knocked out our power line, leaving us without our daily hour and a bit of electricity. Despite numerous calls to the Electric Company's Operator, they came, replaced the problematic transformer, and promised to return to address the overload, but they never did."
Community Left in the Dark
The original issue began with a transformer explosion that cut off even the limited power supply allocated to the area.
UNE technicians initially visited, replaced the equipment, but failed to return to address the overload that caused the incident.
On the day before Tudela's urgent post, workers attempted to restore service, only for the transformer to explode again. They removed it but did not come back.
"Yesterday, just when we thought the problem would finally be resolved, they came back, put it up, and when it exploded, they took it away and never returned. We're still here—children, elderly, the whole area—completely powerless," Tudela wrote.
Severe Impact on Residents
This left residents unable to pump water, causing food spoilage and preventing them from charging lamps, bulbs, or fans.
"We urgently need help; we're exhausted from this dire situation. So many homes lack water because it can't be pumped, food is spoiling, and children, elderly, and sick are unable to sleep... in total darkness 24/7," Tudela detailed in her post.
After the post went viral, UNE took action. Tudela confirmed in a follow-up post that "the main issue was determined to be an overload, which caused this outage affecting many families. Today, two new transformers are being installed to resolve the problem."
Wider Electrical Challenges
This incident is not unique. On June 7, the Guantanamo Electric Company admitted that eight transformers in various municipalities were out of service with no spare parts available anywhere in the country.
On June 11, a failure in the 110 kV line connecting Santiago de Cuba and Guantanamo left the entire province without power for over 24 hours, underscoring the vulnerability of an infrastructure that relies on a single high-voltage line.
Additionally, illegal electrical connections in Guantanamo have been identified, causing network overloads and hastening transformer failures, exacerbating a crisis that, by 2026, has led some eastern Cuban municipalities to endure 20 to 30 consecutive hours without electricity.
Social media complaints have become the primary means of citizen pressure against institutional inaction. This is in stark contrast to the regime's claim on June 14 that Guantanamo was "100% electrified," a statement that contradicts the reality experienced by the residents of 1 Oeste / Emilio Giró and Crombet for three weeks.
Understanding Cuba's Electrical Challenges
What caused the prolonged power outage in Guantanamo?
The prolonged power outage was primarily due to a transformer explosion that eliminated the limited power supply, compounded by an unresolved overload issue.
How did the UNE respond to the power outage complaint?
In response to the viral complaint on social media, UNE installed two new transformers to resolve the power outage in the affected neighborhood.
What are some of the broader issues facing Cuba's electrical infrastructure?
Cuba's electrical infrastructure faces challenges such as outdated equipment, lack of spare parts, reliance on a single high-voltage line, and illegal electrical connections causing network overloads.