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The Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Power Plant (CTE), located in Matanzas and regarded as the largest unit block in the country, remains operational at the end of 2025, and authorities in the sector highlight a “significant record of continuous operation” this year.
Despite technical issues and the National Electric System (SEN) experiencing widespread blackouts due to a significant generation deficit, the General Director of the industry, Rubén Campos Olmo, stated that Guiteras was operating at 170 MW.
At the same time, he emphasized that the strategy for the last days of 2025 and the first days of 2026 was to not increase the load above 180 MW, with the aim of preserving the stability of a plant that has been in operation for “more than three decades.”
Campos Olmo explained that since March the unit has been dealing with issues with the high-temperature reheater, which forces it to operate with excessive water consumption, a situation that worsened “in the last few hours” and which would be the main cause of the power limitation.
He added that they hoped to address the fault and correct other issues during a short shutdown in the early days of January.
According to the executive, despite these challenges, 2025 would close as the second year with the most online hours for the Guiteras “after 2002,” with a little over 7,800 hours.
Recent departures from the SEN and reintegrations
The official statement acknowledges that the thermoelectric plant left the SEN the previous Sunday due to a failure in the 220 kV output line and that, after re-entering early Monday morning, it left two more times due to irregularities in the turbine area, until it re-entered at 1:29 PM.
The text states that Guiteras was recently recognized as "among the best" in the country for its contribution to the base generation and its efficiency, a recognition that —according to the report— would be formalized in a ceremony for Electric Workers' Day on January 14.
The publication also highlights that the plant uses national crude through pipeline, without transportation costs, and emphasizes its location in the west, where “the highest electrical loads” are concentrated.
In parallel to the discourse about the permanence of the Guiteras, the UNE reported that on December 31 the SEN was still “in crisis,” with an estimated deficit of 1,315 MW during peak hours, which anticipated blackouts on New Year’s Eve.
The report indicated ongoing disruptions for 24 hours on Monday, a temporary restoration at 2:44 a.m., and new interruptions starting at 5:04 a.m. due to a lack of generation.
The maximum impact reported the previous day was 1,660 MW at 6:10 p.m. In the morning, the availability was 1,480 MW against a demand of 1,900 MW, with 412 MW affected.
Among the causes mentioned are breakdowns in thermoelectric plants such as Mariel, Felton, Renté, and Santa Cruz, maintenance work in Santa Cruz and Cienfuegos, as well as 603 MW limited due to thermal failures and 872 MW unavailable due to a lack of fuel and lubricants.
The UNE planned to regain power through distributed generation, the commissioning of Unit 1 in Santa Cruz (60 MW), the Melones generator (35 MW), and the Fuel Moa engines (90 MW), yet the deficit for peak demand would remain around 1,285 MW, with an estimated impact of 1,315 MW.
The report adds that, despite the entry of 34 photovoltaic solar parks with a production capacity of 3,038 MWh, renewable generation remains insufficient to meet national demand, while authorities insist that efforts are being made to stabilize the system.
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