The Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant in Matanzas started up on Friday afternoon and could sync with the National Electric System (SEN) around midnight.
“After the boiler was ignited this afternoon, the workers at the Antonio Guiteras thermal power plant in this city of Matanzas expect to synchronize the unit between eleven and midnight this Friday,” said the official journalist José Miguel Solís on Facebook.
"The operations will proceed with the usual caution until stability in the plant's operating parameters is achieved," said Román Pérez Castañeda, the technical deputy director of Cuba's largest thermoelectric plant, in his customary euphemistic tone.
He also stated that the welding work to remedy the leak detected on Tuesday, July 29, just four days after the plant returned to the SEN following another previous breakdown, “was successful.”
"It is a fact corroborated by the standard pneumatic and hydraulic tests to assess the components under working pressure," detailed the official.
"This maintenance involved teams from the Maintenance Company for Electric Power Plants of Felton, Cienfuegos, and Havana, aimed at repairing the boiler, reviewing and adjusting valves, and other equipment and systems that ensure the operation of the largest power unit on the island," the information concludes.
La Guiteras, which provides up to 220 megawatts and represents the largest unit block in the country, has experienced three major breakdowns in July. The most recent was attributed to damage in the high-temperature reheater and a water wall of the boiler, a structure that has not undergone major maintenance since its inauguration in 1989. More than 35 years of neglect have turned this strategic infrastructure into a ticking time bomb.
According to the technicians, the recovery process involved more than a hundred corrective tasks, including pipe replacements, hydraulic testing, and metallographic controls. Nevertheless, the authorities admit that, even if it resumes operation, the Guiteras will not operate under optimal conditions.
“The block will be operational, but not under perfect conditions,” acknowledged Lázaro Guerra, director of Electricity at the Ministry of Energy and Mines, in statements to the newspaper Granma.
The shutdown of the Guiteras power plant has intensified an already critical situation: on Tuesday, the Electric Union reported a deficit of nearly 2,000 MW, even before this new breakdown was announced. On social media, indignation was swift. “Hand over the country, anyone could manage it better than they can!” exclaimed a user on Facebook, while others reported power outages lasting up to 20 hours a day, spoiled food, and lack of drinking water.
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