Persistent issues at the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Plant, now due to "gas leak."

The Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Power Plant (CTE), the largest and most important in Cuba, continues to face serious operational challenges, and this Friday, a gas leak prevented it from reaching its maximum generation potential, the regime reported.

Currently, the plant generates only 175 megawatts (MW) of its total capacity of 212 MW, due to a gas leak in the boiler area, reported the official site Cubadebate.

This malfunction, which affects one of the dead chambers in the system, requires at least 72 hours for repairs, according to Rubén Campos Olmo, the general director of the facility.

"Once the opportunity arises, we will proceed to intervene in the identified red point and carry out other necessary tasks within the next 72 hours," commented Campos Olmo.

This new setback adds to the ongoing issues that the plant has faced in recent weeks.

Although the CTE Antonio Guiteras had managed to synchronize with the national electrical system (SEN) earlier this week, its offline status and constant failures have highlighted the fragility of the Cuban electrical system, which has yet to achieve the desired stability following recent massive blackouts.

The Guiteras plant, which has been essential for electricity supply in the western region of Cuba during its 36 years of operation, is currently running at a limited capacity.

Just a week ago, on October 18, the plant was the main cause of a massive blackout that affected the entire Island. Although service was restored three days later, interruptions continued.

Last Monday, seven thermoelectric units in Cuba were out of service: three due to breakdowns and four undergoing maintenance.

This lack of capacity in the national electrical system has led to power outages in several regions of the country, particularly in the central-eastern area, which have lasted up to 20 hours in some localities.

As part of the strategy to mitigate the effects of these failures, the authorities have decided to divide the electrical system into independent subsystems by region.

According to the Ministry of Energy and Mines, this would improve load distribution and reduce the impact of blackouts, particularly in the provinces of Matanzas, Holguín, and Cienfuegos.

However, the full restoration of services remains slow.

According to official sources, only 55.7% of the service has been restored in the Isle of Youth, 19% in Pinar del Río, and some circuits in Matanzas have managed to restore electricity supply in the cities of Matanzas, Cárdenas, and Colón.

As the issues at the Antonio Guiteras Power Plant are addressed, Cubans continue to face a chaotic electrical situation characterized by prolonged blackouts.