The Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Power Plant (CTE) in Matanzas, one of the pillars of the Cuban energy system, is once again undergoing repairs after a breakdown that was initially thought could be resolved quickly.
This Saturday, authorities revealed that the extent of the damages reported after an unexpected outage of the CTE last Wednesday was greater than expected, which forced them to bring forward the maintenance scheduled for September.
Edier Guzmán Pacheco, director of Thermal Generation, explained that the maintenance will focus on restoring basic operating indicators of the plant, such as the cleaning of air heaters and the condenser, which will allow for an increase in load and greater reliability in the system.
"The mechanical cleaning of the boiler, through the heat exchangers, and the troubleshooting of the pumps are also priority tasks to reactivate the plant," said Guzmán Pacheco.
The work at the largest power plant on the island is being carried out by specialized brigades from the National Company for Maintenance of Power Plants, along with personnel from the Antonio Guiteras power plant itself and other power plants in the country.
These brigades are working in continuous shifts 24 hours a day to expedite the resolution of the breakdown that caused the recent shutdown of the most efficient thermal unit in Cuba, according to a report from National Television.
The technological failure in the turbine oil regulation system, which occurred in the early morning of last Wednesday, was the trigger for this situation.
Although it was initially expected that the plant could reconnect to the National Electroenergetic System (SEN) within 24 hours, authorities announced on Thursday that the CTE will remain out of service for at least seven days to carry out the necessary repairs.
During this time, the technicians will take the opportunity to perform cleaning and maintenance work on other equipment that also requires it.
"We believe (that when the plant starts up again) it will be between 160 and 265 MW, which had not been achieved due to dirt in the boiler and other damage," said the official.
The Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant has been a symbol of the instability of Cuba's energy system in recent years, and its inability to operate continuously highlights the deficiencies and lack of proper maintenance in the country's energy infrastructure.
The journalist from Matanzas, José Miguel Solís, described the situation as "particularly difficult" during the night and early morning after the breakdown, noting that the solution to the problem was still pending.
The CTE Antonio Guiteras, located in a key region of high electrical demand, is essential for mitigating blackouts in Cuba.
However, its recent history of failures and outages indicates an urgent need for investment and maintenance in the country's energy infrastructure to ensure a more stable and reliable operation.
In that scenario, the Cuban population suffers daily blackouts lasting several hours.
The day before, regime officials said that in light of the emergency situation, power outages in the capital would also increase to four hours daily.
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