In the province of Matanzas, numerous electrical circuits have been left without power for over 60 consecutive hours as of this Saturday. The affected areas include the towns of Manuelito and Bolondrón, which are nearing a staggering 70 hours of continuous blackout, as reported by state-affiliated journalist Pedro Rizo Martínez from TV Yumurí.
The circuits MK41, MK69, MK73, and MK51 in Jagüey Grande, along with the 5980 circuit of the Bolondrón aqueduct, have been powerless for almost 60 hours.
Other circuits are also severely affected: circuit 4072 has been down for 50 hours; circuits 5660 in Pedro Betancourt and Güira, and 4485 in Jagüey Grande are at 45 hours. Los Arabos, Colón Este, México, and San José have surpassed 45 hours without electricity.
Areas like Santa Marta, Boca de Camarioca, Perico, and Carlos Rojas have been without service for 42 hours, while Versalles has been dark for 43 hours. Colón has experienced 41 hours of outage, and the Materias Primas circuit in the city of Matanzas has been out for 39 hours. Limonar and Carbonera are nearing the 40-hour mark.
Power Struggles and Manual Restorations
Alejandro Rodríguez Aspeitía, the director of the provincial Electric Company, stated in a work meeting that the power deficit in the province exceeds 130 MW, the maximum allowable outage. He noted, "The aim is to prioritize circuits that have been out the longest, as long as weather conditions permit."
The situation in Manuelito and Bolondrón is particularly dire. Their circuits frequently trip and can only be reset manually and onsite, necessitating the deployment of teams from Pedro Betancourt. Aspeitía explained, "In Manuelito and Bolondrón, the power comes on and goes off immediately. We have to dispatch a guard vehicle from Pedro Betancourt to the area."
Impact on Health Centers and Local Leadership's Response
Regarding hospitals, the provincial director mentioned that available power generators are rotated among centers with the longest outages, ensuring "they receive two hours of service."
Governor Marieta Poey Zamora highlighted that this issue is recurring across various territories and circuits, including Manguito and Versalles, where overloads cause tripping.
Mario Sabines Lorenzo, the first secretary of the Party in Matanzas, urged finding methods to mitigate the impact on residents.
Nationwide Crisis Reflects Local Struggles
The national picture is equally concerning, with the Electric Union forecasting only 758 MW of available power against a peak demand of 2,800 MW this Saturday. This results in a deficit of 2,042 MW and a projected impact of 2,072 MW during peak hours.
Several thermal power units are simultaneously malfunctioning: units 1 and 2 of the Santa Cruz CTE, the Guiteras CTE unit—out since October 14 due to an economizer leak—, unit 2 of the Felton CTE, and units 3 and 6 of the Renté CTE. Thermal generation limitations reach 394 MW.
This day in Matanzas is far from isolated. The province faced outages of up to 96 consecutive hours in July and, in June, saw eight substations and 63 transformers simultaneously out of service, highlighting a structural energy crisis the regime fails to resolve.
Aspeitía also warned that circuits left without power for extended periods might experience failures and incidents upon restoration. He urged each municipality to coordinate with its Basic Electric Unit before any service reinstatement.
Understanding Matanzas' Electrical Crisis
Why are the circuits in Matanzas experiencing such long power outages?
The circuits are experiencing extended outages due to a combination of structural energy issues, frequent tripping, and a manual reset requirement, along with a broader national power deficit.
What measures are being taken to address the power outages?
Efforts are focused on prioritizing circuits that have been without power the longest, deploying manual reset teams, and rotating available generators among critical facilities like hospitals.
How does the national power situation affect Matanzas?
The national power crisis exacerbates local issues, with major power deficits and multiple thermal power units out of service, leading to widespread and prolonged outages.