Journalist Criticizes Havana Electric Company for Unexplained Circuit Changes

Claudia Lugo, a journalist and host for Canal Habana, has publicly criticized the Havana Electric Company for altering electrical circuits in the Playa municipality without providing users with any explanation regarding the reasons or potential impacts of these changes.

On Saturday, Lugo made her second post on Facebook about the issue, detailing that the L322 circuit was transferred to L317 on Sunday, September 13. Additionally, the L323 circuit was split and reassigned among circuits L315, L316, and L317. This information was shared through the company's WhatsApp channel, lacking any further context.

In the following days, she noted, the entity announced that both circuits were now under DAF (Automatic Frequency Trip), a mechanism designed to stagger the disconnection of circuits to prevent a total network collapse.

This prompted the journalist to pose a critical question: "If users from those circuits were moved to others, who now belongs to L322 and L323? Why was this change made? We have a right to know. Without explanations, there's room for serious misinterpretations."

On Friday, Lugo recounted on the social network that she contacted the company to inquire why her circuit was not part of the DAF as expected. The reply she received was aggressive.

"A man responded rudely, saying we were transferred to another circuit. Without warning. Just because. That's it. He even insulted me when I asked for more information. And these are the people supposed to 'serve the public,'" she emphasized.

The employee did not identify himself. Lugo mentioned he lacked "the courage" to give his name and "hid behind a phone to hurl insults and offensive language at a woman."

In her post, the journalist reiterated that changes in circuit rotations should be communicated in advance, allowing people to plan accordingly.

"We are living in very tough times, and the entities we rely on for information are not doing their job well," she wrote, summarizing the daily ordeal faced by millions of Cubans amid an ongoing energy crisis with no clear resolution in sight.

Comments on Lugo's posts highlight widespread frustration. One user mentioned having been without their circuit entering DAF for "over four years."

Another was more straightforward: "There is no reliable communication in that company." A third person shared a similar experience calling the National Load Dispatch: "The official told me she didn't have to give her name or any more information. They are supposed to be public servants, but it seems otherwise."

Several commentators noted that Lugo's complaints, due to her status as a journalist, would have more impact than those from an ordinary citizen and encouraged her to use her professional tools to bring the issue to light.

The complaints arise in a context of increasing opacity in Havana's electricity distribution. In August, another citizen demanded publicly from the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, to explain which circuits are prioritized and why, after enduring more than 30 hours without power. The response received from calling 18888 was consistently the same: "superior decision."

Illegal electricity sales in La Lisa and Calabazar, Havana, where two linemen were caught selling the service to private businesses, add to public suspicion.

The Electric Union labeled the case as an "isolated act of corruption," but the patterns documented across multiple municipalities suggest something more systemic.