This endemic problem affects residents who pay their bills, as the saturation of electrical lines is caused by illegal marijuana cultivation. Despite investments by Endesa, pending actions led to the service failure on December 4 and constantly throughout January in streets such as Josep M. Sert or Joan Núñez.
The blackouts in January were concentrated in the last week, often lasting from 7 PM until 7:30 AM the next day. Resident Agnès Quintana, a lifelong resident, reported the situation to the Mossos d’Esquadra (Catalan Police), highlighting the difficulty of taking care of her mother with Alzheimer's, often having to push her wheelchair upstairs in the dark.
“"The City Council does what it can, but we are very tired and no longer know what to do or where to turn."
Municipal sources have again requested explanations from Endesa regarding the most recent problems. The government led by Jordi Masquef highlighted the work of line sectorization to prevent the supply from failing in entire streets, though admitting that “when there is an overload, it overcomes everything.” Currently, three transformers are problematic: those at Plaça Paco Doya, Carrer Doctor Fleming, and under the Residència Els Arcs.
The municipal government assures that they have been holding months of meetings with Endesa, Mossos d’Esquadra, Guàrdia Urbana, Guàrdia Civil, and the Conselleria (Regional Ministry) to promote more global coordinated actions against marijuana cultivation, as once electricity fraud is detected, the line is often illegally reconnected hours later.
