The director of the Antonio Guiteras Thermal Power Plant, Rubén Campos Olmos, assured on Thursday that efforts are being "intensified" to ensure that the plant, the largest energy generator in the country, can resume operations this Saturday after 48 hours of maintenance.
However, these statements published on Facebook by the official journalist José Miguel Solís highlight the fragile situation of a facility that operates at the limit of its capacities after 37 years of continuous use.
Campos explained that the maintenance, scheduled to be completed within 96 hours by this Saturday, has faced unforeseen challenges such as an excess of ash and severe contamination on the heat exchange surfaces.
Despite this, he assured that the specialized workers from the Electric Power Plant Maintenance Company, backed by a budget exceeding 15 million pesos, are working against the clock to meet the set deadline.
According to the director, this work will enable the plant to exceed 250 megawatts of capacity.
La Guiteras, located in Matanzas, has burned over 9 million tons of national crude oil during its 37 years of operation, far exceeding the original lifespan of its boiler, which was estimated at 30 years.
This accumulated wear turns every maintenance process into a technical challenge that requires not only dedication but also resources that are often insufficient.
The optimistic rhetoric of "redoubling efforts" showcases the ability of technicians and workers to address urgent issues, but it also highlights the lack of a clear strategy to ensure long-term stability.
The Electric Union (UNE) announced last Tuesday the disconnection of the Guiteras Power Plant for scheduled maintenance that will last four days (96 hours), during which "urgent work on the boiler" will be carried out.
At the beginning of the month, the largest and most important CTE in Cuba faced severe operational difficulties, as a gas leak prevented it from reaching its maximum generation potential.
For that reason, the plant was operating at only 175 megawatts (MW), which is why it was decided to take a shutdown.
However, the departure of the "Guiteras" significantly worsened the blackout situation, with power outages in some provinces of the country reaching up to 20 hours daily.
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