In a military community of the Casino Deportivo area in Havana's Cerro municipality, five multifamily buildings have been left without electricity for more than 48 hours. This blackout is the result of a malfunction in the sole operational transformer on a utility pole that contains two transformers, as reported on social media this Saturday.
The power outage began on Thursday, September 24, around noon, when a loud noise heralded the equipment's failure, as disclosed by Mario Hui on his Facebook profile.
Although the pole has two transformers, only one had been operational for months, bearing the entire load from the other non-functional transformer.
"For several months, only one transformer was working, handling the full load of the other, which stopped functioning three days ago," Hui explained in his complaint.
Residents reported the issue through the channels of the Unión Eléctrica (UNE) and personally visited the offices. Although officials visited the site of the malfunction, as of Saturday, service had not been restored.
This blackout also affects telecommunications. The facilities of the state-owned Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba S.A (Etecsa), located near the failed transformers at the entrance between Avenida La Ceiba and Final, house the equipment servicing fixed-line numbers with prefix 7 637, leaving hundreds of customers without phone service.
Nationally, prolonged power outages have disrupted approximately 56.5% of telecommunications cabinets. During the most recent collapse of the National Electric System (SEN) on September 18, nearly 70% of cabinets were rendered inoperative.
Widespread Transformer Issues Across Cuba
The situation in Casino Deportivo is not unique. In Calabazar, a neighborhood in Boyeros, a transformer exploded in August after a shoddy repair, and no one from the Electric Company responded for two days.
In a similar case in Camagüey, the official response was to wait 15 to 20 days for service restoration. Additionally, residents of Caibarién in Villa Clara province reported being without power for 12 days due to an unresolved malfunction.
In Havana, an average of 25 electrical transformers break down daily, with some days seeing over 60 damaged units. Of the 1,500 transformers evaluated in the capital, 755 are operating under excessive load.
Challenges in Repairing Damaged Transformers
The UNE acknowledged in June that spare parts are unavailable in any province, and the country has only three repair workshops in Havana, Villa Clara, and Manzanillo, with a combined capacity of about 70 units daily, which is insufficient to meet the accumulated demand.
Energy and Mines Minister Vicente de la O Levy admitted to the National Assembly at the end of July that the theft of dielectric oil exacerbates the crisis and that some communities have gone up to 105 days without electricity due to damage to special voltage transformers that are difficult to procure on the international market.
Common Questions About Cuba's Power Outages
Why do power outages last so long in Cuba?
The prolonged power outages in Cuba are due to a combination of outdated infrastructure, lack of available spare parts, and insufficient repair capabilities.
How do transformer failures impact telecommunications in Cuba?
Transformer failures can disrupt telecommunications services by affecting the equipment that supports fixed-line phone numbers, leaving many without service.