Liquid gas pellets are on sale in Sancti Spíritus after 10 days of “absence”
14ymedio, Havana, 3 February 2025 — Cienfuegos suffered up to 21 hours of blackouts on Sunday, according to its provincial government. In a communiqué published on Monday, the territory’s Energy Council called for “reasonable compliance with energy saving” and warned of the “high level of power cuts in the province” due to the “complex electro-energy situation in the country”, that is to say, the lack of fuel.
Although the statement says that the generators that ensure vital services were supplied with diesel and fuel oil, it does not hide the fact that “the maximum time without service yesterday was 20 hours and 52 minutes”, that “the average time without service was 16 hours and 31 minutes” and that “the circuits were affected on two occasions”, after providing electricity for only “2 to 4 hours”.
This Monday, the Council continues, “the sale of liquefied gas to the population is guaranteed, except for the sales points of Pastorita, Punta Gorda and Pepito Tey”. The “distribution policy” is aimed at, they say, “the most affected circuits”.
Likewise, they claim that passenger transport “remains stable”, as do classes in schools, and that they have guaranteed “the production and sale of bread from the standard family basket and prioritised social consumption”.
The power cuts also affected the water supply
As for rubbish collection, the Cienfuegos Energy Council reports that it has been normalised and that “two trips will be made to each communal area, covering the 19 Popular Councils”.
The power cuts also affected the water supply. For example, the Damují water treatment plant, which suffered an electrical “trip” that “affected the lower area” of Cienfuegos, and the pump in the municipality of Real Campiña, which is being repaired.
Not only Cienfuegos, but the whole country is having to put up with a dire situation in terms of electricity service. For this Monday, despite the reconnection late on Sunday of the Antonio Guiteras CTE in Matanzas, the Cuban Electrical Union (UNE) again predicted a deficit of almost 1,500 megawatts (MW). Specifically, the state-owned company’s report forecasts an availability of 1,825 MW for a demand of 3,300 MW, bringing the projected deficit to 1,475 MW. The real impact is calculated at 1,545 MW.
The arrival at the island of the vessel Pastorita has been a relief. Loaded with liquefied gas, last Friday it unloaded at the Hermanos Díaz refinery in Santiago de Cuba, and this Monday it arrived at the port of Pastelillo, in Camagüey. Both in the eastern and central regions, in fact, the liquefied gas distribution service has been “restarted”. From Holguín, this Monday, the 14ymedio correspondent reports that there was a long queue at the sales point in Reparto Echevarría, near the Lenin Hospital.
In Sancti Spíritus, the official press itself reported on Monday the sale of “this much-demanded product” after 10 days “of absence” due to “stoppages at the gas cylinder filling plant located in the province of Cienfuegos”.
Speaking to the Escambray newspaper, the head of the Casa Comercial del Gas in Sancti Spíritus, José Alberto Martínez Quintana, said that just over a thousand cylinders are available, which “were delivered according to the number of customers registered in each place, as well as covering sales through digital platforms”. According to the official, the total number of subscribers is 37,435.
He also gave assurances that “they are already making arrangements for distribution of gas in Cienfuegos” tomorrow, Tuesday.
Translated by GH
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